#lila lies exposed

[mochinek0]

Daminette December 2023: 29-Disappointment

Marinette watched in disappointment as everything about Françoise Dupont was revealed. She thought she would feel justified, feel happy. Instead, she felt nothing. Caline Bustier had been fired in the middle of class. Lila had been arrested. They didn't tell the class anything; they just told them their parents were there and they had to speak to them before they left. Even their parents seemed confused.

Adrien stood with Natalie in a line. Everyone was spaced out. They had all been told that the students weren't allowed to talk to each other and if a pone was seen, it would go straight into police custody. Adrien looked behind him to see Marinette leaning against her father's large frame and her mother stroking her hair.

Once they were led into a room, they were all let out through a different direction to make sure there wasn't anything yelled out. When it was Adrien's turn, they quickly learned this was mostly about Lila Rossi. Natalie began to ask questions of her own, as they had hired her. At the end of the session, they were told to head straight home. No one was allowed to stick around on campus. As they got in the car, Adrien asked if they could stick around.

"No. The officer said we should head straight home, Adrien." Natalie stated.

"Please. I just want to talk to one person." Adrien spoke, " They were behind us in line so they should be coming out soon."

"We will wait ten minutes and not a second more." she declared, "If an officer tells us to leave before the time is up, we will leave."

"Yes, Natalie. Thank you." the model, smiled.

Just before the time was up, Marinette and her parents walked out of the school. Adrien perked up and unbuckled his seatbelt. As he reached for the car door, another car showed up. A guy he had never seen before, quickly walked out of the car and hugged Marinette. He watched as the guy kissed her head before turning to Tom and Sabine. He could barely make out what was being said.

"Let's go, Angel." he said, "Tom and Sabine said I was to take you away for a few days. How are you feeling?"

"Disappointed. I feel nothing." she answered, causing her parents to tear up.

"Where will you go?" he asked her parents.

"We will be closing the bakery for a week." Tom replied, "We'll be with some family memebers."

"I've already gathered her things." he spoke.

"Thank you, Damian." Sabine smiled.

Damian took ahold of Marinette's hand and led her to his car. It didn't take long for them to drive away.

"Adrien." Natalie called out.

"Uh, we-we can go." he whispered, "I'm sorry for wasting your time. I can ask at a later date."

The school was declared closed for a week. No one still knew what was going on until Tvi did a special on their school. It was under investigation. Their principal couldn't show specific footage to the school board or police. He was arrested for money laundering, as he had never updated the school's equipment as he stated he had. Once he was arrested, they began to dig into the footage and found many inconsistencies, regarding some students. Tvi went onto explain there had been expulsions that were never approved of by the board. The board was now frantically expunging records and reaching out to families. During the special, it was announced that a student had been arrested for lying to not only the school, but also the staff. They announced that a few of the students' parents were now suing the young girl as she took money and items from their classmates, claiming to be well connected with celebrities. They had also claimed to put money towards charities of their choice or would help them get their dream job. Dupont was called a school of dreamers and nativity. The class couldn't help but think of Lila, Marinette, and Ms. Bustier. When they had been questioned about Lila, they instantly got defensive and threw Marinette under the bus as a bully. They were quickly finding out, they had made the wrong choice and Marinette was rigth about Lila all along.

Adrien had snuck out and was hoping to meet up with some of the class for answers. He had no idea his father was one of the people suing Lila, once he had learned she had lied on her resume and forged her mother's signature. The model hoped he could talk to Marinette, as well. He never expected to see her outside of a hotel.

"Hey, Marinette!" He called out, "Did you tip off the school board?"

"No." She answered.

"Then, how did they know?" he questioned.

"Because of you." Mari replied.

"Huh?" he asked, not understanding.

"This ended exactly they way you wanted it to." she continued, "You wanted me to let Lila lie and she would catch herself in her own web of lies. Her going to jail, being sued; this is all your fault. All I wanted to do was tell her lying could get her in trouble. I wanted to make sure everyone was cautious about what she said. They could have double checked, knew she lied, and then went along with her lie, for her sake."

Adrien looked at her, surprised.

"This isn't you, Marinette." he replied, full of disappointment.

Mari shrugged, "Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. I don't really know anymore."

"Wh-What do you mean?" Adrien questioned.

"I put up with Chloe, with the teachers looking past my harassment for year, with Lila defaming me." Marinette spoke, "I feel nothing, anymore, Adiren. I don't know how to be happy anymore."

Adrien wasn't sure how to reply, when Damian walked out of the building.

"Are you ready?" Damian asked Marinette.

She nodded her head.

"Wait! Mari-" the model began.

"Go inside." Ordered Damian.

Marinette nodded again and went inside, past the security out front.

"Leave her alone." Damian growled out.

"Who are you?" Questioned the model.

"Her boyfriend." Damian stated.

"No. She would have told Alya and Alya would have told Nino. Nino would have told me." Adrien babbled in shock, "She would have told her best friend-"

"The same 'best friend' that pours drinks on her head and her sketchbook?" Damian retorted, " The same one who trips her in the halls and steps on her hand until she had to wear a brace and couldn't design? The same one who would drop her sisters off without any notice because Lila needed her?"

"That girls isn't friend, Agreste. She is a bully." Damian stated, "My girlfriend is seeing a therapist because of your idiotic high road philosophy. Do you have any idea what it was like to come to Paris, to surprise her, and instead, I find she swallowed a whole bottle of pills! She was dying when I found her."

Adrien paled at the thought.

'Marinette tried to kill herself? I'm to blame for all of this?'

"You almost got her killed. Would you have done the same, seeing as how you were 'in this together' with her?" The Wayne heir continued, "I'd tell you to stay away from her, but her parents signed over guardianship to my father so that she can get out of Paris. She won't even be in the country by Friday. Marinette will get the help she deserves."

"You silenced her. You made her feel useless. You made her feel like trash. You are lucky you have nothing tying you to her harassment or I would be suing you; trust me, I looked." Damian concluded.

"Huh?" Adrien asked, still in disbelief.

Damian rolled his eyes, "I called the board when My Angel was in the hospital. Did you know that Lila isn't even her real name? It's Cerise Lerouch. She is signed up at another school, here in Paris. She was never a transfer student from Italy, just a girl who likes attention. All those 'trips out of the country' was just her going back to her other school because she wasn't 'sick' anymore. In fact, she wore a wig and contacts to your school, every day."

Adrien remained speechless.

The Wayne heiress sighed, "I do not understand what she saw in you."

"Who?" The model questioned.

"Marinette. She was in love with you. I believed I had competition and would have to strive hard to earn her favor. All I ha e seen is a boy who is completely and utterly disappointing. " Damian announced, "Be sure to tell your little friends that the only thing they have done is earn the wrath of the Waynes. Same for the supposed 'best friend'. My family owns her dream job and now she'll never have it. How disappointing for her."

The young Wayne turned away from the model and entered the hotel. After a moment, he tried to run in after him, only to be told 'only people with special clearance were allowed in'.

Unfortunately for Adrien, the entire Lila Disaster had only fueled his father's intentions of keeping him homeschooled. He still kept in contact with Nino, but the others were busy with their own things. Nino had told him Alya had hysterical after learning she was being sued by the Waynes. They were suing her for emotional distress, for all the babysitting she had forced on Marinette. Alya had to pay all the money she never gave Mari, once her parents found out. Marinette had kept a detailed planner listing what times and when Alya had dropped off the twins. She had even recorded the twins, asking what Alya had told them and why they were dropped off. Her parents were upset with her and grounded her for the rest of the year. They weren't going to be able to go out on dates and she was now the twins sole babysitter. Nino recanted how Alya said her family was disappointed in her. They were barely looking at her and the twins kept crying how they preferred Marinette. She had also learned that she was blacklisted from the Daily Planet. After that, she shut down and barely said a word.

Nino went on to explain that he was trying to get music files he had given Lila because she knew some DJs. Other classmates were learning that what she had promised them, wasn't true. Juleka had called her father, Jagged Stone, and asked him about knowing Lila and saving his kitten. She quickly filled him in about her tinnitus disability when he didn't remember her, but he claimed to never own a cat of any sort. Even Jagged Stone was looking to suing Lila. After Juleka told Rose, she quickly emailed Prince Ali and was anxiously waiting for a response back. Ivan and Mylene had given Lila money for charities, but were unlikely to see any of their money back. Nathaniel had given her some art to hold for when she went to America to give to her connections. Nino told Adrien they were signed in invisible ink so it was being looked into.

The class itself was slowly falling apart. Max was worried about his grades and how a new teacher would approach everything so he asked to transfer to a private school. There was no evidence he had participated in the bullying so he had been free to leave. Kim no longer had someone to help him focus so his grades fell and he was cut from the team. Kim no longer bet on anything and was even spending less time with Alix. His relationship with Odine was falling apart. There were whispers of the Mayor being tied with Damocles about the money laundering and hints of an investigation looming over his head. Chloe seemed upset and waas pouting, but never answered what was wrong. It wasn't until later he learned that Sabrina had transferred school to the other side of Paris. Adrien couldn’t believe all the chaos that was caused because one person had lied.

Adrien had finally broken down and cried. Natalie found him and once he had calmed down a bit, she asked him to explain.

"I messed up." he sobbed, "I knew Lila was lying, but I used Father's logic: lies don't hurt people. I didn't think any of this would happen. Marinette tried to commit suicide and is now moving out of Paris. Alya is depressed. Lots of our friends are trying to sue Lila and get their things back. Some changed schools. Others are flunking! I got blamed for Marinette and her boyfriend said ther was nothing to stick to me so he couldn't sue me."

Adrine cried himself to sleep. Natalie informed Gabriel and it was only then he saw how naïve he made his son, by keeping him home. He was grateful that ther was nothing holding Adrien accountable, but he knew he needed to do something fast. He called up his sister-in-law and pleaded with her for Adrien to attend school with his cousin. As much as he hated it, Felix would help beat the naivety out of his son.

Meanwhile, in Gotham, Marinette had moved into the Wayne Manor. All the Waynes had been very welcoming. Damian had even introduced her to Jon; Damian explained that Jon also helped him express his emotions. She had an appointment for a therapist next week.

TAGLIST: @maribat-calendar-events @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@missmadwoman@meira-3919@princessdaisysolosyourfaves@blep-23@fangirlingfanatic@darkhinauniverse@ravenr22@im-a-satanic-ritual@ravennm84@bianca-hooks123@a-slytherinish-gryffindor@starling218

#daminette december 2023 #daminette #lila lies exposed #lila rossi exposed #lila rossi salt #adrien agreste #adrien agreste salt #marinette dupain cheng #disappointment #damian wayne #marinette x damian #damian x marinette #tom dupain #sabine cheng #marinette sees a therapist #mentioned suicide attempt #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #principal damocles #damocles salt #paris class #realization #marinette moves to gotham #mochinek0

[aliensunflower-fics]

Man, Adrien's just wants everyone to be happy, and because he goes on the wrong way, he gets a raw deal.

Will he ever get a break in your fics?

... Okay I have gotten 1 to many asks like this even though if you check my pinned post you would see all my fics with tags a fair few of which include Adrienette or even just cool friends Adrien and Mari but to make your life even easier HERE I will link every single fic I have written (to this date) in which there is 0 Adrien salt ENJOY:

Alya Salt Prompt: Views (Alya Salt / Prompt / Mild Lila Salt )

Ladybug Is Addicted to Pastries ( Fluff / Comedy Short )

Corruption: A Prompt ( Light Adrinette / Lila Salt / Prompt)

Marinette Changes Schools: Funny Prompt ( Adrienette / Kagaminette / Felinette / Fluff / Comedy / Lila Salt)

A Sinister Sneaky Lila Prompt (Marinette Harem / Lila Salt / Prompt )

The Liar Trap: Lila Salt Prompt (Comedy / Lila Salt / Hints of Kagaminette )

Marinette The Perfect Daughter In-Law (Marinette Harem / Fluff / Comedy)

‘Akumatized’ Marinette: Funny Prompt (Marinette Harem / Fluff / Comedy / Lila Salt )

The Interview (Comedy /Gabriel Salt / Nathalie Salt / Lila Salt / BAMF Marinette)

The Interview Part 2: Live Broadcast ( Comedy / Gabriel Salt / Nathalie Salt / Lila Salt / BAMF Marinette / Hints of Daminette / Gay Adrien / AdriJon )

Jealousy & Honesty: Sugary Prompt (Innocent Lila AU / Marinette Is Insecure but Sweet / Marinette Talks to Her Mom / Prompt)

Who Framed Marinette Dupain Cheng (Comedy / Marinette Harem / Fluff / Class Sugar)

#its just me #miraculous ladybug #adrien sugar #my fic #adrienette #marichat #lila salt #kagaminette #felinette #mariharem #lukanette #gay adrien #jon x adrien #daminette #maribat #lila gets expose #lila lies #alya sugar

[charlietheepicwriter7]

Hey, Little Songbird

Final Chapter - AO3

Three days after the defeat of Gabriel Agreste and the arrest of Lila Rossi, Felix was invited out for ice cream by his classmates.

A little flustered, he’d agreed without thinking. Rationally, there was little reason to why Lê Chiếninvited him to join, and even less of a reason why Felix accepted. There was still too much to do in the wake of Hawkmoth’s arrest; lawyers to speak to, statements given to police and press alike, entertaining his mother who’d overtaken his home to take custody of Adrien… Frivolities like ice cream socials couldn’t be entertained.

Despite that idea, Felix found himself smiling under the sun, surrounded by classmates as they all took turns at the food cart.

Couffaine and her girlfriend—a few days of diligent study only unearthed a few of his classmates names, not all—stepped out of his way, a sundae to share between the two. He approached the ice cream stall and—“Where is your menu?”

The man, Andre or something similar, smiled merrily. “Ah, so this is your first time at Sweethearts Ice Cream? Allow me to explain.” Picking up his scoop, Andre started to fulfill his order despite Felix having never ordered anything. “Sweethearts Ice Cream has a special ablility; to connect the hearts of two people in love. The harmony of two hearts in love influences the flavors of the ice cream. And there!” With a flourish, Andre offered him his waffle cone ice cream. “Blackberry for her hair, blue bubblegum for her eyes, and black cherry for her secret you keep in your heart.”

“…This is a terrible business model.” Despite his words, Felix paid the man and took his cone. “I don’t even know who this could refer to.”

“Really? You have no idea?”

Nearly dropping his ice cream, Felix whirled around. “M-Marinette!? When did you get here?”

“Just now,” she said, squeezing up beside him at the counter. “Hey, Andre.”

“Marinette! You’re ready to give Sweethearts Ice Cream another chance then?” Andre grinned at them both. “Or… would you two like to try my Couples Sundae? It’s free for new lovers.”

Felix flushed, a protest frozen in his throat. Fortunately, Marinette could still speak. “No, thank you,” she said, voice pitched higher than usual. “Just a regular ice cream, please.”

“Of course, of course.” Changing his scoop for a fresh one, Andre started on a new waffle cone: a base of yellow with dark chocolate, with a scoop of bright blue on top. “Banana for his hair, cotton candy for his eyes, and…” He flipped the cone over and dipped it in chocolate, “…a dark chocolate shell, since you broke through his.”

Blushing, Marinette accepted her ice cream. Felix offered her his arm and escorted Marinette towards a bench separate from the class, who were watching them. Lê Chiến even offered Felix a grin and a thumbs-up, to which he awkwardly returned with a nod.

“How…” She paused to take a bite of her ice cream, dark chocolate snapping between her teeth. “How has everything been? I’m sorry for not being in class the past few days, but it’s been so busy…”

“I can only imagine.” Marinette—or rather, Ladybug—has been in and out of the police station as often as Adrien was, giving her statement. Between that and the press conference Mme. Bustier stopped class to let them watch yesterday, if she’d spent more time as Marinette than Ladybug these last few days, Felix would French-kiss Rossi. “It’s been quiet, especially once Ladybug announced that Gabriel was Hawkmoth. Ms. Bustier tried to make us talk about our feelings, but everyone’s still a bit too shocked to discuss it.” After all, it wasn’t every day when you discovered your classmate’s father was the terrorist who turned you into a supervillain. Reporters had hounded their class from the moment the news dropped.

They were even worse towards his family.

“The school’s talking about shipping in a therapist for us,” Felix explained. “Not only that whole Akuma Class nonsense, but also because we were in direct contact with a terrorist for months on end. So, you have that to look forward to when you get back.” Rossi was allowed unrestricted access to vulnerable minds for over half a year. There was no doubt his class needed therapy… including Marinette.

“At least she’s been expelled from the country,” Marinette said, sighing. “Honestly, that was harder than giving my statement ten times over. The Prime Minister wanted her trial on French soil. I had to argue with the Prime Minister! All for Lila.”

“Why?” Felix would never do anything to help Rossi.

“News of her involvement is going to drop any day now. People are already trying to attack Gabriel in his cell; when the mob of public opinion finds out about her, they’ll start trying to get her too. At least this way she’ll be tried back in her home country, by people who were never directly affected by her actions.”

Felix didn’t like it, but “It’s understandable. People are also trying to get to Adrien, despite his innocence.”

Marinette nodded, half-expected that. “How is Adrien? I haven’t heard from him at all.”

“One of his photographers leaked his phone number, so Mom took his phone away so he wouldn’t have to read all the vile filth people send him. He’s getting a new one soon.”

It wasn’t that Felix didn’t understand why people were so upset. Gabriel turned Paris into a battleground and friends into foes, but… the police had already released a statement denying Adrien’s cooperation regarding Hawkmoth, yet there are still hateful phone calls and texts coming in at every hour from people who wanted someone to blame. At least Mother was keeping a record of who sent the more illegal messages: the threats, the doxing, the… suicide baiting.

Their family lawyer would be well fed in the coming months.

It was hard with Adrien in his house. Awkward. Despite Adrien’s frame-job, he was still family, and Felix was someone who supported his family. But that didn’t mean Adrien was forgiven. Felix didn’t forgive, and he’d never forget.

Surprisingly, the tabloids were kind towards Felix. He made no effort in hiding his involvement in the case, both as the whistle blower for Hawkmoth and as a hero involved in the final take down. Mother had cut out some particularly flattering articles out to hang in their manor parlor, but fortunately the threat of arrest and restraining orders kept most of the rats away.

“How’d Adrien take it?” she asked.

Felix bit his ice cream, so he’d have time to answer. Damn that ice cream man. It was delicious. “He didn’t believe it at first… didn’t want to believe it. He’s seeing a therapist on Friday.”

Marinette wrapped her hands around her ice cream cone. “Poor Adrien…”

“He’ll recover; he’s stronger than you think. He’s already made plans to hang out for the weekend.” He gestured at Alya and DJ Boy, leaning against each other and sharing a sundae. Alya caught his eye and waved. “Everyone’s going to be okay now.”

“Yeah.” Marinette drank in the sight. Not just Alya and her paramour—though they earned a smile for finally making up—but their other classmates as well. Felix had never been invited to a class outing before, but even though they’d broken up into subgroups of couples and friends, everyone looked happy. “We’ll recover.”

The sun shined down on them all, warming skin like a heated blanket. Felix studied the melting treat at hand. “So. Ladybug?”

She flinched.

“I haven’t told anyone,” he reassured. “I understand why it’s a secret. I understand why you didn’t tell me. But…” He sighed. “I’ve been keeping this to myself for days. Can you please just… confirm?”

She took a deep breath. “Yes.” She peeked at him from the corners of her eyes. “This is me, confirming. Yes.”

Okay. A shiver ran through him. Marinette was Ladybug. His best friend was a superhero and trusted him enough to be a superhero too.

He was in love with Ladybug.

As was Chat Noir. And half of Paris. Shit.

“So, what gave me away?” she asked.

“Little things. Nothing anyone else could put together.” Little things that added up into the big picture. The way Ladybug knew he’d worn a hoodie earlier that day, the inherent trust she had in a man she previously punched in the face, the way she looked at him. But most importantly, Felix felt that she’d wanted to get caught, that Marinette had wanted him to know she was Ladybug, and that was what removed the block in his mind preventing him from realizing.

“Small mercies,” she muttered. “Did you really think I was Rena Rogue?”

Felix hid his face in his ice cream. “…It made sense at the time?”

She laughed at him. “Alya’s never going to let you live that down.”

Alya? Why would Alya care—? Oh. He felt his face growing red and it had nothing to do with the weather. “She really won’t, will she?” He asked, sounding faint.

“Yeah, you really dropped the ball on that conclusion. You should have heard her complain! “Your boy is so stupid, how do you even stand him?””

And now Felix was blushing for a different reason. Her boy?

“—I tried to keep her from talking about it in front of the other temporary heroes, but I think Viperion knows. Carapace definitely does.”

“Did she complain in front of Hawkmoth too?” he grumbled, wishing he was wearing a hoodie to better hide his face. “Throw Rossi into the loop while she’s at it? Maybe my mother would like to know all my follies?”

“Oh! Speaking of your mom—” Marinette pulled a chain out from under her shirt. His breath caught in his throat. She’d kept it on her person? “You can finally return this to her.” Threading the wedding ring off her necklace, she placed it his hand, its matching pair resting on his finger.

He squeezed it, the smooth ridges cutting into his palm… and returned it to her. “Keep it. It’s exactly where it needs to be.”

“What? But this is the entire reason you were here!” She tried to give it back again. “It’s your family ring!”

“It’s my family’s wedding ring,” he corrected. “And while most would consider this too forward of an approach, the realization that you’re the most eligible bachelorette in Paris is making me react… strongly. So, I was thinking about a spring wedding? After we graduate Lycée, of course, so it would be a long engagement—”

Marinette covered his mouth, face blush red from the tips of her ears to the neckline of her shirt. “What!?” She asked, voice cracking. “M-M-Marriage!? Felix, we can’t…”

“Well, yes, not right now. That’s why I said after Lycee.” Obviously. “I don’t see what the issue is? My family has had arranged marriages for centuries, and we like each other. Right?” Had he misidentified her feelings? She always acted sweet with him and blushed when he flirted, but what if he was wrong? What if he humiliated himself and ruined their friendship in one swift move—

“Of course I like you, but you haven’t even asked me out on a date yet!” She burst out, causing the rest of the class to glance over. She buried her face in her hands and continued, voice muffled, “Dating comes before marriage; I can’t believe I have to explain this to you!”

Oh. That was the issue. Gently pulling her hands away, he dabbed at her tears with a handkerchief. “I’m sorry, Marinette. I got ahead of myself.” Alya glared at him from over Marinette’s shoulder. Nosy overprotective reporters, getting in everyone else’s business… “I didn’t mean to pressure you. What I mean with the ring is… a promise. I would love to be in a relationship with you, if you’d have me.”

She looked up at him from underneath her lashes. “A promise?”

“To stay by your side and support you in your endeavors.” His family’s marriage vows echoed in his mind, passed down from his grandparents, from his grandfather who was so in love with his grandmother that he couldn’t think of a world where she wasn’t his equal. “As long as you stay by my side and support me in return. To lift you up through the hard times and rejoice with your success. To be equals in all things. That’s what I want to promise you.”

Tears budded in her eyes. “To stay by your side… to be equals… that’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“Then, would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend? And going out on a date with me?”

Her tears ran down her face, but her smile lit up the entirety of Paris with her joy. “Yes. I’d love to, Felix.”

Taglist: @graduatedmelon @novicevoice@dur55@kris-pines04@18-fandoms-unite-08@moonlightstar64@bee-a-garbage-shipper@sol-o-shade@kittyotakunoir666@tinyterror333@allieoftheenemy@marichat00@xgxmxtx@two-faced-biatch@feliciakainzofspades@evil-cricket@emilytopaz@spicybelladonna@chocolateherringtacofan@user00000003@wannajointhecrabcult@happymonster-pants @duquesapincarrasca  @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen  @sxltinette @kittydemon9000 @thetrashypanda423 @unoriginalmessess @toodaloo-kangaroo @troycattribunny@nikipuppeteer

#ml salt #lila rossi's lies are exposed #felinette #fandom felix #lila salt #felix graham de vanily #marinette dupain cheng #alya cesaire #hey little songbird #mlb #miraculous fanfic #salt fanfic #thank you all for reading #your comments meant the world to me #except for the lila anon

[oasis-elli]

“It’s just-” she breathed out before steeling herself, “Whenever I begin to try and tell someone about her lies she just- just pops up out of nowhere! It doesn’t matter if I’m in class or the locker rooms or- or in the toilets, and it’s been happening way too often to be some weird coincidence so I feel like she’s... done something.”

“Hmm... You really think so?” Adrien said as he directed his gaze towards Lila.

Or

Lila goes entirely too far when attempting to keep her lies a secret so Adrien and Marinette can only do one thing.

Take her down.

Ft. Sleuthing (with a sprinkle of the Ladynoir dynamic as civilians), Lila getting slapped in the face, and the entire school witnessing her oh so sweet downfall.

(aka my first miraculous fic lmao :3)

#miraculous ladybug #miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir #miraculous fanfic #lila rossi #lila rossi's lies are exposed #ao3 #ao3 fanfic #:3

[goggles-mcgee]

Too Late: Lila’s Mother

Latest Chapter in the story for @miner249er

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Summary: Her eyes had been opened but she wish they hadn’t.

Giada Rossi has gone through a lot in life and she had always said she would go through anything and do anything for her daughter. It was the same for any parent she was sure, and like any parent she had been convinced her daughter could do no wrong. Her little Delilah. She remembered the day she had found out she was pregnant had been the happiest day of her life, her and her at-the-time husband Matteo had been trying to conceive for years after their marriage, but things weren’t so easy for the couple. They tried and tried, went to doctors, everything they could. Giada had even feared that she had been unable to become pregnant. It had put a big strain on their marriage because Matteo had always wanted kids, he spoke about having a big family all the time when they were engaged. It got to the point where they were just having sex purely on a schedule to try and get pregnant, their was no passion, no…love like there had been in the beginning. She had even thought they might split up, but one day at work she had opened up her lunch and the smell nearly made her sick. At first she had been confused but she remembered all the signs of a pregnancy that the books and online mommy blogs had described and she had immediately gone to get a test. She cried when it was positive. 

Her pregnancy wasn’t great, not that she thought it would be a walk in the park, but she hadn’t imagined it would have been as difficult as it had been. Both Matteo and herself had been so scared when she went into labor two months before she was supposed to. They worried what that would mean for their precious baby. Labor had been hell, it had been one big hazy, painful hell for Giada, but it was oh so worth it when she saw her baby girl for the first time. Of course even the birth had been something that hadn’t come normally. They had to name their little Delilah Gia Rossi when she was in an incubator instead of with her in Giada’s arms like she had imagined for months. The doctor had said that Delilah had an underdeveloped lung and that she had to be in the incubator until it was fully developed. 

Giada and Matteo prayed and prayed that their little miracle would make it and when she did they cried. She was such a tiny little thing at first, Giada could hold her in one hand when feeding her if she wanted to. As Delilah grew, so did Giada and Matteo’s hope of a perfect family, sure she was a sick baby but she was a joy. Their joy. Giada would be the first to admit that they spoiled their little girl, especially after they found out that Giada couldn’t have any more kids. Everything was great and beautiful and her and Matteo’s marriage felt reborn, it was full of that ever-consuming love and sex was once more something enjoyable. Of course it didn’t happen as often as they would have liked given their child and her needs but they made it work. Giada couldn’t remember ever being so happy as she had been then at that moment in time when it was Delilah, Matteo and her against the world. 

Things, however, didn’t last. Thinking back on the circumstances of her and Matteo’s divorce after everything she had learned recently, she had the strongest urge to reach out and apologize for never believing him. Things were so good up until Delilah had turned nine, she was at her fifth school after some incidents at the others and because of Matteo’s job. Matteo had started to become…wary of Delilah and what words fell from her mouth. The two butted heads constantly. Always arguing about telling the truth and honeyed words. At the time Giada had been convinced that Matteo was just stressed with work and that he was taking that stress out on them, because she knew that her little Gia wasn’t a liar. Sure there had been bullying accusations but it was Delilah who was getting bullied and those other kids who claimed her little baby was actually the bully were nothing more than troubled. Matteo hadn’t seen it that way. Not after Delilah’s third transfer.

No. He had been convinced that she was a troublemaker. That she was the bully and not the victim like she had sobbed to them every time there was an incident. It had only escalated from there and so had the fights on the matter. Giada just could not understand why her husband wouldn’t believe their daughter, it was like he couldn’t. Like he physically and mentally was incapable of doing so and Delilah noticed. She had always been an overly observant child, it made hiding her La Befana gifts hard; as well as the sweets. Delilah knew her father didn’t believe a word that came out of her mouth and it depressed her so. Giada could only do so much, could only provide so much attention and love when the only attention and love her baby wanted was her father’s. But it only got worse.

The shouting got louder. The words cut deeper and it felt like anything Giada did was useless. Matteo would get frustrated at her for being so easily manipulated while Delilah sobbed into her chest about her father’s anger. It all came to a head a couple of days after Delilah’s birthday, Matteo finally had a true day off from the Embassy same as Giada and of course Matteo and Delilah got into one of their little fights. Apparently one of her teacher’s had called Matteo to talk about Delilah’s missing assignments, ones she had told them she had done. Of course Giada believed her daughter because Delilah would ask her for help going over her homework so she knew she had done the work, even if there wasn’t much of it. When she had said that Matteo had looked like he had wanted to yell, scream, something other than the long sigh he had let out. He had gone on a rant about how ‘this was why he made sure the teachers called him’ and ‘how could she not see it’? 

It was during this that Delilah had started to cry and cower behind her mother. She had been saying something repeatedly under her breath but Giada couldn’t hear her and listen to her daughter at the same time. That was when Delilah had seemed to snap. She curled into a little ball at Giada’s feet and yelled, “I’m sorry Babbo! Please, I’m sorry! I promise I did the work, I promise! I’m not lying so please don’t hit me again!” The silence. Oh how Giada remembered the silence that had followed that and her daughter’s whimpers. She remembered the numbness she had felt and the overwhelming fear and anger that followed. The fight after that had been astronomical, Giada had told Matteo she wanted a divorce and if he knew what was good for him he had better sign the papers and never come into their lives again. She had told him she was being merciful in not bringing him to court but he had only laughed and said he would have preferred they had gone to court but in the end he had signed the papers. 

It was the last thing he ever said to her that was what haunted her till this day, till this very moment. It was right after the papers had been signed, all his things were moved out, the signing of the papers was to be the last time she saw him. It was with the last stroke of the pen that he finally looked up at her and said, “You better get that girl some help Giada. Sooner or later her lying with every breath she takes will come to bite you and her in the ass. This type of thing, Giada, it doesn't go away and she won’t grow out of it. You’re going to believe she’s your perfect little angel until consequences for her lies come knocking at the door. And you’re not going to like what they have to say.” After that, he had kept to his promise and left them alone, actually he had left Italy as a whole, apparently he had gotten an offer by another embassy to be the Italian ambassador. She never found out where, but it had been the hot gossip at work for a long time, too long. 

That was when Giada had started looking at other embassies that needed a secretary, it wasn’t the high-profile job of an ambassador but it put bread on the table and it was what she was good at. The moves were good for her and Delilah and slowly they healed, but oh how Matteo’s words hung around her like a smell that wouldn’t go away. Especially now, because he was right and Giada should have listened. Maybe if she had and they had gotten Delilah the help she so desperately needed, then maybe she wouldn’t be in a Parisian hospital watching the slow rise and fall of her daughter’s machine aided breathing.  She knew teenagers and practically everyone told lies, it’s a part of life, but she never imagined lies would have brought her to this moment in her life wondering if her child would wake up. Everything had changed once The Protector had surfaced, that was when everything had come to light and Giada wished she had still been in the dark. 

It’s not easy to face reality especially when it was particularly against you, Giada thought as she looked over her daughter once more. She honestly didn’t know what she hoped for.

On one hand she desperately wanted her daughter to wake up, to be okay and to heal so she could answer every question her mother had running through her head at the moment. If Delilah woke up Giada vowed she would get her daughter the help that Matteo insisted she needed, the help that she now knew she needed. She just didn’t understand why her daughter would lie about so many things, why she felt the need to lie, the need to turn a whole class against one girl enough that that girl snapped. Thankfully, Giada knew how messed up it sounded, even just in her head, but thankfully Paris had Hawkmoth. Otherwise that little girl may have taken her own life and Giada didn’t know if she could live with herself if her daughter was the one responsible for that. 

Heaven only knew if Delilah would have felt any guilt either way, she sure as hell didn’t seem remorseful knowing she caused the City’s worst akuma to date to form. If anything she had seemed pleased with herself and that, that’s what broke Giada. She had hoped beyond hope that Delilah just didn’t understand what she had done but when they had been watching the news Giada had seen it. She had seen that self-satisfied smirk her daughter wore before she schooled her look into one of fear. It was so fast, a blink-and-you-miss-it type of thing and it had made her feel like maybe she had hallucinated it due to the stress of the situation. Next thing everyone knew the news was reporting that the akuma victim, Marinette may have been Ladybug, who due to some extensive research Giada had done, was not as incompetent as Delilah had told her she was. 

The research hadn’t made her feel any better because it meant she hadn’t been hallucinating. Her daughter wasn’t who she thought she was and Giada really didn’t know who she had been living with. She had been manipulated for years and she had had no idea. Delilah had always seemed so independent so Giada just placed her trust in her daughter, she now knew that was the wrong thing to do. Others would probably mock her, were probably mocking her for her stupidity but she had wanted to trust her daughter because really, they were all each other had. Even her parents had cut off contact with her because at the time Giada had believed they had been cruel to Delilah just like Matteo had supposedly been. So Giada had told them they would no longer visit unless they apologized to Delilah and owned up to what they had done, of course they had argued their innocence until they just stopped trying. 

It hurt, it hurt because Giada lost them for nothing and she couldn’t even call them, or she could but there was a high possibility they wouldn’t answer and that would be more than her heart could take. Right now though she needed to talk to someone, anyone who didn’t look at her daughter in disgust and her in pity. She didn’t know what to do, her daughter laid before her on a hospital bed beaten and broken because of lies she told and the absolute craziness that Paris had become. It happened so fast. Giada had been ready, ready to confront Delilah with all her research as soon as her daughter had walked down from her room. She had hesitated when Delilah had kissed her cheek and said her usual morning greetings, a tear had fallen. Delilah had looked properly worried for her and that hurt because Giada had no idea if the worry was real. 

She had opened her mouth to say something, anything but then their door was kicked down and people rushed in and it was all just motion. Hands were on her, holding her, a voice was soft, pitying, telling her she was a victim of the silver-tongued fox. They said it would all be over soon, that they were there for a higher purpose and that she would be free. Giada hadn’t understood but all she had done was struggle and scream for her daughter, her daughter who looked genuinely scared. She was made to watch as these people, The Followers she would later find out from the police, beat her daughter within an inch of her life. They used their fists, their feet, they used whatever objects in the home they could and just as fast as they had arrived they left. The strength in her legs had all but gone and Giada had crawled to her daughter who she couldn’t even recognize anymore and hastily called the cops.

Then they were here and the doctors were telling her most of her daughter’s bones were broken, some penetrated her organs and she had brain damage. Then came the announcement that Delilah was in a coma and that they weren’t sure if she would wake, that it would be a miracle if she did. She had been her little miracle so at first Giada had been certain Delilah would pull through and would wake, then she really processed everything and that certainty diminished. So she sat there thinking about the other hand, the other option for Delilah and arguably the most merciful. Of course Giada wanted her to wake but some part of her thought her daughter would be better off passing away. It was an awful ugly thought but it consumed her. Her little girl, no matter how mad she was, how disappointed and how horrified she was with her, she didn’t deserve this pain. If she woke she would be paralyzed for life, she would never be able to do anything for herself and it would be Giada taking care of her.

Giada didn’t know if she would have it in her to do so. 

She also didn’t know if she had it in her to press the call button to the number she had gotten from her friend Theresa back in Italy, but Matteo deserved to know what happened to Delilah even if it was all over the news. She believed it was best to hear it from someone rather than to find out some third-party way. So with a heavy heart and small amount of confidence Giada pressed call. 

It rang. 

And rang.

And rang.

Each ring made Giada’s already low confidence dwindle until she heard the tell-tale sound of a click. “Ciao. This is Matteo Baiamonte speaking.”

“Matteo. Cia-Ciao.”

“Giada.” The somewhat warm tone he had when answering the phone was all but gone. “How did you get this number? This is my personal number.”

“That’s beside the point Matteo, I…I have some bad news.”

A heavy sigh. “I know Giada. Bad news is the only news that travels fast, what I don’t understand is why you called me.”

“She’s your daughter Matteo.”

“Was. Both of you made that very clear when I was told to never contact you and you changed her last name-”

“She asked!”

“Because that makes it better? You always did what she asked like a good little fantoccia!”

He always knew what to say to cut her deep. “I didn’t call to fight Matteo!”

“Then what did you call for Giada?” He yelled, slightly hysterical. “If it was only to inform me of Delilah, a simple email would have sufficed but given you haven’t updated me on her medical history since I left I doubt this is what this call was really for.”

“If this was for sympathy,” She heard Matteo chuckle in disbelief. “You’ll get none from me. I warned you Giada. I warned you about that girl and now? Now you and her are facing the consequences.”

“Conseq-Matteo! You act as though Delilah deserved this! To be beaten within an inch of her life all because of some lies!”

“Porca miseria! Giada. What she did was more than lie. Delilah lied, she manipulated and she did it all without remorse. I feel some sympathy for her for the consequences she faced but I did tell you she would face them. I just never imagined they would be so pricey…I don’t know what you expect me to say Giada. I feel bad for the kid, I do but nothing more and I did not appreciate this call.”

“You deserved to be told.” Giada choked out over her tears.

“No I didn’t. I deserved to be left alone. I left you guys alone like I promised and now I ask you to give me the same courtesy Giada. I have a life, I have a family and I know that’s not news to you if you got your hands on my personal cell phone number. The point is, I moved on, and you need to move on from this to.”

“I don’t think I know how to Mat.” She answered honestly. 

“Strength and Courage, Gia. Strength and Courage.”

The call ended without any goodbyes and that was just as well, because even with his harsh words, Matteo was still the man she knew. He still, in all his anger and frustration, gave her advice. Things were messy between them but even still after everything she and Delilah put him through he was willing to give her advice and call her the nickname she carried throughout her years. It felt like when they had been friends in the embassy and fought over something they both had different opinions on, but when she was stuck, Matteo always managed to give her advice and be her rock. So she wiped her face of any remaining tears and prepared to call her parents as many times as was necessary to get them to listen so she could apologize and maybe, just maybe they could mend their broken bond. Giada slipped her hand through Delilah’s unresponsive one and held it.

“Strength and Courage.” Giada echoed softly, she would get through this and when Delilah woke up they would get through this, so she pressed call. 

Next Chapter

*La Befana-"The Good Witch" in Italy, on Jan. 6, Le Befana comes to the house and leaves gifts for children while also sweeping the floors of the household. For naughty children she stuffs their stockings with coal. It is said that her housework kept her from traveling with the Three Kings on the night they went in search for baby Jesus, or at least that's what it says according to the tale. It was later on that she went with a bag full of gifts for the newborn Jesus.

It's said that she sweeps the floor as a way to sweep away the problems of the previous year away and leave the family with a fresh start.

*Babbo- a more personal way to refer to your father in Italian

*Ciao- Hello

*Fantoccia- female puppet

*Porca miseria- literal translation is "pig misery" but it basically means "For God's sake/For Goodness' Sake"

*Strength and Courage- it's a reference to an Italian saying, "Forza e coraggio che la vita è un passaggio." meaning "Strength and courage because life is a passage."

#too late commission #googles writes #goggles commission #lila rossi salt #lila rossi's lies exposed #lila rossi's mother #lila rossi's mom #angst #aaaaaangst #not a lot of comfort #Lila's mom needs a hug okay? #a lot of hugs #ml salt fic #this is a healthy dose of salt and angst right?

[cactusladybug]

Chat Got Your Back

By: 11JJ11

Word Count: 3,452

Archive Warnings: None

When Lila tells lies about Ladybug and Chat Noir there's not much Adrien can do, but Chat Noir on the other hand...

#oneshot #complete #marichat #under 5k #miraculous ladybug #lila rossi's lies are exposed #fluff #no archive warnings apply #miraculoustalesofladybugandchatnoir #ao3 fanfic

[wordsofrowan]

Written in Ink

Chapter 5 - As the Ink Dries

Alya cleared her throat as once again all eyes fell on her. “We still have one more letter to read. Let's listen to this final letter then we can decide on what to do from there okay?”

With a renewed sense of purpose, the class braced themselves for the last letter. If Adrien’s letter was anything to go by this was going to be very hard for them to process.  They all waited with bated breath for Alya to begin.

“Lila, This I think shall be the hardest letter for me, shockingly enough. I sit here, my heart shattered into a million pieces, writing this letter to you with a mix of anger and utter despair. I guess what I should start with is congratulations, Lila, you did it, you won. You have successfully driven away every single one of my friends with your malicious lies and manipulative tactics. You must be so proud of yourself.  So how does it feel Lila? How does it feel to have torn apart someone’s life with your venomous words? To watch as the bonds I once held so dear crumbled at your hands? You reveled in the destruction you caused, relishing in the pain and suffering you have inflicted upon me. Well, I hope you're satisfied because you’ve broken me. You’ve shattered my trust and left me feeling utterly alone. You played your game so well, didn’t you? Spinning your tales of victimhood and weaving your web of deceit that ensnared even the most loyal of my friends. Your lies have twisted their minds and poisoned their perceptions of me. You whispered lies into their ears and turned them against me, making them cast me aside like a worthless afterthought.  I use to believe that true friendship was unbreakable, that the bond I once shared with them all could withstand anything. You have proven me wrong Lila. You have torn through those bonds like a hurricane, leaving nothing but carnage and debris in your wake and now here I am left standing in the ruins of what was once my support system.  But I refuse to give you the satisfaction of seeing me completely defeated. No, I won’t allow you to revel in my misery. I have found my people and with them, I will rise from the wreckage and become stronger than ever before. I will rebuild my life, piece by painstaking piece, and surround myself with people who value honesty and loyalty and are deserving of my love and friendship.  You may have won this battle, Lila but mark my words the war is far from over. The truth has a way of surfacing and it will expose your deceit for all to see. You may have fooled my so-called friends for now but their eyes will be opened and they will realize the monster you truly are. And when that day comes, you will be left with nothing but the bitter taste of your own lies.  So enjoy your momentary triumph, Lila. Bask in the ruins of what you have created. But remember this victory is hollow, this is your pyrrhic victory, Lila. You may have taken away my friends but you will never break my spirit. I will rise, stronger and more resilient and I will show you just how better than you I really am. So farewell Lila. You have successfully broken me, but I refuse to let you define me. I will find my own path, free from the toxicity you bring. And when I look back on this dark chapter of my life, I will not remember you with anger, but with pity. Pity for someone so consumed by jealousy and insecurity that they resort to tearing others down. Goodbye, Lila. May you one day realize the emptiness of your victory and the magnitude of the pain you have caused. Sincerely, Marinette.”

As Alya finished reading the letter, a heavy silence engulfed the classroom, suffocating the air and hearts of each student. Marinette's words pierced through their defenses, leaving behind a trail of sorrow, guilt, and regret. Tears welled up in their eyes, mirroring the depth of their emotions.

“That’s not true! I just wanted to be her friend! Don’t you see what she’s trying to do! She just wants to pit us against each other so we can be as miserable as she was!” But Lila's feeble attempt to defend herself only ignited an inferno of anger and resentment. Her words, laced with manipulation, fell on barren ground. The class had seen through her facade, and the truth stood unmasked before them, naked and raw.

"That's enough, Lila! Your twisted games and manipulations have torn us apart," Alix shouted, her voice trembling with a mixture of anger and wounded trust.

"You played with our hearts, shattered our faith in friendship, and now you dare to shift the blame? We won't let you rewrite the narrative anymore!" Rose added, her voice quivering with a fierce determination.

The classroom erupted into a tempest of voices, each student unleashing their pent-up rage and pain. Emotions surged forth like a tsunami, crashing against the walls of their shattered trust.

"Do you understand the damage you've caused? How you dismantled Marinette's life and left us in ruins?" Max's voice boomed, shaking with a blend of indignation and heartbreak.

"You took advantage of her kindness, exploited our innocence, and left us bruised and broken. We believed in you, and you reveled in our vulnerability!" Mylene exclaimed, her voice laden with the weight of betrayal and disillusionment.

The once-adoring classmates had transformed into an army of wounded souls, united in their rejection of Lila's false narrative. They refused to remain silent victims in her intricate web of lies.

"Your actions have scarred us irreversibly, Lila! We won't grant you forgiveness so easily. We won't let you escape the consequences of your cruelty!" Ivan’s voice thundered, fueled by a fierce resolve.

The classroom became an emotional battleground, each student unleashing their anguish, disappointment, and shattered trust. It was a cathartic release, a necessary purging of the pain inflicted by Lila's manipulative hands.

Yet, amidst the chaos, a flicker of solidarity emerged, like a fragile flame in the darkness. The students, united by shared suffering, began to find solace in one another's eyes, sensing a collective strength to move forward.

As the uproar gradually subsided, a heavy stillness settled over the room. The students turned to one another, their eyes reflecting a mixture of weariness, resilience, and a glimmer of hope. They realized they had a long and arduous journey ahead to mend what was broken, but they were no longer under Lila's spell.

Marinette's letter had ripped apart the veil of deception, and within that truth, they found solace and unity. Together, they pledged to support one another, nurture their wounds, and ensure that Lila's web of lies would never again ensnare their lives. They were determined to rise from the ashes of betrayal, to forge bonds stronger than ever before, rooted in authenticity, compassion, and unwavering trust.

With a renewed sense of purpose, the class stood united, ready to face the daunting challenges ahead. They would rebuild what was shattered, heal their fractured friendships, and prove that even amidst the darkest of deceptions, genuine connections can emerge and thrive.

XoXo Rowan

#writing #spilled ink #miraculous au #miraculous fandom #marinette deserves better #akuma class salt #lila rossi #Lila's lies are exposed

[justhereforkeefe]

#miraculous #reread #episode follow up #ladybug episode #Marinette fights back #Lila’s lies are exposed #one shot #a side of adrienette

[geekgirles]

Liar Revealed

So Marinette and Sabrina worked together to lure Lila into a false sense of security that eventually led up to her spilling everything in front of an audience she was unaware of. Now everyone knows she’s been lying about everything, she’s a horrible person, and she and Chloé are about to be expelled for good... After 7 years, the fandom finally got what it wanted.

...then why do I feel like I’ve actually wasted those 7 years of my life? 

Buckle up, ‘cause this is going to be a long ride.

As someone who’s been eagerly awaiting for Lila to be exposed since Volpina, a feeling that only grew with each passing episode she’s been featured in, I honestly find this development wholly underwhelming, highly disappointing, even. 

Maybe I’m too vindictive, who knows, but this in no way feels like proper comeuppance for a character who’s been maliciously manipulating everyone around her and relishing in other people’s misery since she was first introduced.

First and foremost, because having Lila accidentally reveal herself while gloating is too much of a cliché. I’ve seen people before mentioning how Lila exposing herself seemed to be the only way this could go, seeing as Marinette’s best attempts always seemed to fail. But if we ignore for a second this was actually set up by Marinette and Sabrina, with the way it’s handled it just feels like a kick in the gut, not the overwhelming catharsis I’m sure most of us were expecting. 

Because, and this is actually my main problem with the execution, by having Lila expose herself by spouting a self-satisfied tirade of every single lie she’s ever told and people have believed without question as she disparages Sabrina’s attempts to take her down, saying how she could easily turn everyone against her, the narrative is actually framing Lila in the right.

When we as the audience know it shouldn’t be like that. 

Lila only really upped her game in season 5 (and even then the writers still rely too much on the characters being dumbed down around her for it to work), up until then all her lies would have been easily discreditable if the writers didn’t need the class and everyone in Paris to believe her for her schemes to work!

From our perspective, Lila is nowhere near as formidable as she presents herself to be. Which, admittedly, goes in line with her consistent characterisation (about her only consistent trait aside from being hateful and a liar) that she believes and presents herself to be more special than she actually is. But the problem is no character other than Marinette, Adrien, and now Sabrina ever learnt of this fact! Maybe now that she’s exposed herself, but with the way she gloated about all her plans going off without a hitch...

Which leads us to another reason this was the worst possible execution of Lila being exposed they could have come up with:

It was a stroke of luck.

That’s it. That’s unquestionably what it was. Because hadn’t Sabrina finally grown a spine and drawn the line with the actions she was willing to commit for Chloé’s sake, Marinette would have had no way of knowing of Lila’s plan and preparing accordingly. 

Really, the only positive thing I can say about it is that it could maybe count as character development for Marinette since she finally learned she needed to be as sneaky as Lila if she wanted to take her down. And there’s of course the fact that Sabrina finally broke away from Chloé. Other than that? It’s a fairly sombre scenario, really. 

Because, again, Marinette didn’t manage to finally beat Lila because she had a strong support network (which would have painted a very symbolic and meaningful picture showcasing how, for all the superficial attention her lies can get her, in reality, Lila will always be alone as long as she doesn’t put in the genuine effort to reach out to others like Marinette does), but because she had outside help. Again, help she couldn’t have accounted for until Sabrina herself reached out to her. 

Relating to my previous point, Marinette never got Alya to even believe her about Lila or at the very least question how genuine she was until Lila spelled it out for her. Even though she’s known her best friend is Ladybug for months, which brings forth the question if letting Alya in on Marinette’s secret ended up being even worth it if the writers refuse to have her help her out where it matters (I’ll be sure to go back to this point in a minute, just you wait). 

What else? Oh, I know! How about the fact that, for a season that was supposed to be all about Adrienette winning, the writers purposely robbed us of that Adrienette vs Lila alliance we were promised back in Chameleon, huh? Because Adrien was completely left out of the plan. In fact, ever since Ladybug back in season 3, he hasn’t been allowed to do anything to help Marinette against Lila. As with the Ladynoir conflict in season 4, his relevance all but vanished even though he was a central part of the conflict from seasons 1-3. 

Even better! When he finally spoke up about Lila to Nino and Alya, arguably his best friends besides Ladybug, they completely brushed his concerns off as him just agreeing with Marinette out of boyfriend obligation! I didn’t know intangible things could slap me in the face, but boy was I wrong!

And the best part? This complete disregard of his feelings, lack of communication, and their assuming they know better than him (which disturbingly parallels to his own relationship with Gabriel...) is certainly never going to be explored, let alone resolved. 

What do I mean with all this?

Well, basically that for a show that’s supposed to promote the power of love, friendship, and teamwork, when it comes to Lila Marinette is all alone. Has been since Volpina. 

But at least that’s done with, Lila got her just desserts, and we’re never going to have to deal with her ever again...

SIGH

Except, not really. Not at all, in fact. 

Because just as she and Chloé were finally being reprimanded for their actions, Mr. Damocles had to choose that of all moments to realise he failed as a principal, attract an akuma, cause a racket, and provide Lila with the perfect distraction to just...walk away unscathed. 

And with the reveal that she actually has more identities, social circles, and opportunities to lie and manipulate to fall back to after being expelled from the Françoise-Dupont...Let’s just say it implies that while Marinette (and the audience) had to endure nothing short of psychological torture, Lila never really had anything to lose.

Now I ask you...how the Hell am I supposed to consider that a satisfying, cathartic resolution to that particular arc?!?!?!?

And if you permit me, there is one more thing I’d like to get off my chest. 

Alya’s reaction to this.

After learning the truth she rushes to hug Marinette and apologise, being a clear wreck about it. And while Marinette getting an apology once in a blue moon is always a welcomed thing, once again the writers aim and completely miss their shot. Because Alya apologises for being gullible. 

Look, back in seasons 1 and 2, Hell, even back in season 3, I could have overlooked this. Yes, she never listened to Marinette, could be a tad hypocritical, and the whole jealous thing got old and annoying fast, but at least she couldn’t know for certain Lila was bad news. But from season 4 onwards Alya no longer has such an excuse. No, from season 4 onwards Alya’s problem isn’t that she’s gullible, it’s that she willingly and repeatedly chose to blatantly ignore all of Marinette’s suspicions and warnings regarding Lila. Even after Adrienette finally became canon and Marinette had realistically no reason to feel jealous of Lila in any way, shape or form, Alya still couldn’t fathom that, perhaps, her best friend had her reasons for disliking Lila besides a love triangle. 

The moment Alya learned Marinette is Ladybug, the two should have been allowed to talk about Lila, about the real reason Marinette hates her, and to work together to overcome this issue and bring her down. How do you expect me to be okay with season 5 opening to these two having daily sleepovers to talk about Marinette’s love life, but not a single second could be spared after Illusion to have Alya question why Marinette hates her so much, if not connect the dots herself since she is Ladybug’s best friend, not Lila, and Ladybug hates her?

I’ve seen people justify this saying it’s been a long time since Lila lied about being Ladybug’s best friend, and while I’ll argue the last time it was mentioned was actually Chameleon, not Volpina, I could see your point. Except that is not just another lie, like her claiming she knows Jagged Stone or Prince Ali. No, that is the lie that started everything.

It was because Lila lied about knowing Ladybug to impress everyone, especially Adrien, that Marinette completely lost it and chewed her out for it in front of him. It’s because of that lie and the consequent reaction it got from Ladybug that Lila even developed a grudge in the first place. It’s because of that lie that Marinette ever found out about Lila being a liar, because before she first lied to Adrien about being close to Ladybug, Marinette was panicking because she had no chance against someone as incredible as her. If she hadn’t lied about knowing Ladybug, Marinette would have been as fooled by her as everyone else and the two might have never really come to blows.

So don’t tell me it was never brought up because it was so long ago and it doesn’t matter anymore, when that particular lie carries so much weight and we all know the real reason they couldn’t have Alya in Marinette’s corner is because the writers know Lila needs everyone around her to follow her blindly for her lies to work and everything to always work out in her favour because otherwise she just doesn’t work as a villain.

TL;DR: If you want a good resolution to the Lila Gets Exposed plot, pick literally any fanfic dealing with this exact premise. It’ll be better, I promise.

#miraculous ladybug #ml #mlb #ml spoilers #ml season 5 #ml season 5 spoilers #ml s5.21 #confrontation #ml salt #ml analysis #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #sabrina raincomprix #adrien agreste #lila salt #alya salt #lila rossi #alya césaire #chloé bourgeois

[marimbles]

ok since i’ve really only whined but not actually explained my reasoning lol, here is my take on the s5 finale. (this is long, sorry)

I think we’re all on the same page about the idea that gabriel being seen as a hero, by all of paris but especially adrien, is icky. and on top of that it does not feel good that marinette is supporting that lie, even if it’s out of love for adrien. most people are assuming this issue will be resolved somehow in 6, probably by lila exposing the truth. cool. that’s my hope as well. but even if that’s the case, i still dislike the framing of his wish and what the surrounding context seems to imply about it.

it is not my assumption that gabriel’s wish included green initiatives and a reformation of the parisian school system lol. I assume that his wish was to exchange his own life for nathalie’s. but as we know, wishes literally rewrite reality. the fact is that paris improved after his wish, so it is still related. he remade the world, and the new world ended up better. It all supports the idea that his wish was a good thing—a noble sacrifice that redeemed him in some sense. my impression is that even if (hopefully) he is exposed as hawkmoth, the actual wish he made will still be framed as admirable. obviously marinette found it noble enough to agree to lie to everyone about gabriel’s identity as hawkmoth.

which brings me to another pain point: the fact that gabriel essentially won the long battle against ladybug and chat noir. i’ve heard arguments that he didn’t win because he died and how is that winning? he got what he deserved in the end. but imo, he just put himself out of his own misery, because he was on the brink of death anyway because of his cataclysm wound, and he basically escaped having to face any emotional consequences from his literal terrorism and child abuse. and even if you don’t consider that a win, you also can’t consider marinette’s end of the deal a win either. her goal was to prevent hawkmoth from unifying the miraculous and making a reality-altering wish. which is exactly what happened. so she failed her mission. ladybug lost. and to me it’s sort of bizarre that the narrative seems to be framing that as a good thing? ladybug lost, but the new reality that resulted from it is so much better than the old one, and she is actively choosing to lie in order to protect the seeming goodness of that reality.

marinette is lying, of course, to protect adrien, which does not feel out of character. we’ve seen her do this before. but it is frustrating to me for precisely that reason. the final battle was meant to highlight how much marinette has grown over the past five seasons, but her choice here highlights the ways she has not grown. starting with syren in season 2, she has witnessed how much it hurts chat noir to be left in the dark and how it weakens their partnership. in that case, she convinced master fu to let him be in the know, and trust was restored. but then she continued a habit of keeping things from him, putting more and more distance between them, till it culminated with kuro neko in s4—a total breakdown of the ladynoir partnership, where chat noir renounced his miraculous. i would have thought that marinette would learn from that experience and realize that keeping people in the dark is harmful and that even if the truth hurts, adrien has a right to know it. but she once again made the decision for him, and when he finally finds out, it will be all the more painful to know that the person he loves and trusts most in the world lied to him. i actually really appreciate that marinette as a protagonist has such a good heart but is still such an imperfect character, so i want to respect this choice as a manifestation of her flawed but good intentions. i just can’t help but be really disappointed that after 5 seasons of making the same mistakes again and again, she has apparently not learned from them, which makes me feel she has not grown the way the writers say she has.

her facing hawkmoth alone for the final battle is supposed to be a sign of that growth—and yes, I can see how she has grown a lot in confidence and capability since her shaky debut as ladybug. but i also feel that her flying solo defies one of the central themes of miraculous: that in the fight against evil, good people need to stand together. just think of the difference between the s4 and the s5 finale. in strike back, ladybug is broken and sobbing because she has lost the miraculous and feels like a failure who is all alone. but then she is buoyed up by her faithful partner and all of paris, who express unbreakable faith in her and vow to stand by her side. that was so powerful! showing that she doesn’t have to be alone, and she’s not supposed to be alone, and that part of being a hero means accepting help and working with others to achieve good goals. this message was a major part of marinette’s character arc in s4 and it’s something that was introduced from the very beginning and has been supported over and over in the show. but then in “re-creation,” she has no team, and she doesn’t need one. which … good for her, I guess? But then why did we have 5 seasons of “you and me against the world” if in the end it was always going to culminate with “I'm sure we can figure out a solution if we work together. You … and me”—referring to Marinette and Gabriel, while Adrien is literally locked in a blank white prison hundreds of miles away?

it just really kills me that in kuro neko, adrien gave up his ring under the assumption that chat noir was not needed—that he was entirely useless to ladybug. and then the narrative proved him right. ladybug did not need chat noir to defeat monarch. she just needed his ring. the writers confirmed in their recent commentary that they had planned a bug noire fusion from the beginning, and they intentionally sidelined adrien so that could happen—they even had to figure out an excuse for why he wouldn’t be there. so they traumatized him with nightmares of destruction and fear of akumatization to ensure that he would once again give up his ring and conveniently remained locked away while bug noire faced down monarch alone.

you could argue that it’s better for adrien to have missed the final battle anyway, since facing his own father would just be even more traumatizing for him. i understand that. (that’s the reason i liked that in the owl house, it ended up being just luz vs belos, and hunter did not have to face him again.) but at the same time it feels so narratively unjust that chat noir—who has been fighting against hawkmoth by ladybug’s side since day 1—has zero part in seeing his mission through to the end. even though it’s all about him. because while marinette is the protagonist, adrien is the connecting piece of the whole story. it’s always been ladybug vs hawkmoth, and adrien is in the middle of them, because he’s both ladybug’s partner and gabriel’s son.

you’d think, logically, that as the connecting piece, Adrien’s decisions would be vital to the plot. That he’d have the power to tip it either way. but instead he is completely stripped of his autonomy—literally, because he’s a senti, and also symbolically in the narrative, because he’s simply removed from the equation. Like, he’s still central to the equation but he has no say in it. It’s all about him but he’s not even present. Everyone is fighting for him but he can’t fight for himself. Everyone is speaking for him but he doesn’t even have a voice.

the finale kind of sets up marinette and gabriel as narrative foils of each other, showing how they have the same motivation—to make adrien happy. and they make the same decision to protect that goal. which is interesting, sure, but also kind of effed up to me? i’m not sure what to take from the idea of the protagonist mirroring the antagonist in this way. that’s been done loads of times, but in this context, for a child audience, i don’t know what to make of it. what kind of message that is supposed to send to the children who are the primary audience of this show? ladybug is a good guy, and in the end, she’s just like the villain because they both love adrien and want to protect him. so that’s why she agrees to tell everyone the bad guy was a hero. ????

that gabriel/marinette parallel leaves adrien to parallel emilie, which makes sense and is fitting but also just sort of … depressing and again, lowkey effed up. that adrien ends up with the same narrative role as a corpse in a coffin. almost, like, macguffin-esque—a thing that motivates the agents of the story but has no agency itself. despite him being so central to both sides of the main conflict, his decisions don’t affect the outcome. because he doesn’t have the option to make any. because he’s not even present. both gabriel and marinette made a life-altering decision for adrien, thinking it was best for him, without considering that what’s best for him is to know his own story and make his own choices. him getting the rings was somewhat relieving, but it also felt like kind of a slap in the face. because it’s like, “look, adrien’s free! he has his amok and no one can control him anymore!” but, like, how free is a person who is living a lie? will he ever experience true autonomy, or will his life continue to be dictated by the decisions others make for him? will the narrative give him decision-making power or will his role continue to be symbolic?

one thing that makes this all extra dissatisfying is that Adrien literally does not have the option of getting closure with his father, because he’s dead. maybe a dramatic reveal in the middle of the final battle would not be the best way to go about it, but now he can’t have any sort of closure. in the owl house, it didn’t feel necessary for hunter to be present in the belos takedown because he already had his confrontation with belos in graveyard possession scene. belos tried to physically control him, and hunter broke free, and spoke his mind, and as traumatizing at is all was, it was good for him to be able to do that. it would’ve been so nice if adrien also had that opportunity. if he did break free from his father’s control, either by overcoming akumatization or the control of his amok somehow. or if not that, if he were just able to have one honest conversation with his father about emilie. like he did with his alt self in the paris special. it was so significant for the writers that bug noire detransformed and spoke to gabriel as marinette. why couldn’t adrien have done that? Marinette is the one to tell Gabriel that Adrien wouldn’t want him to make the wish and hurt someone else, that Adrien has made peace with his grief, that he has learned to cherish his mother’s memory without living in the past. wouldn’t that be even more powerful coming from adrien himself? if adrien was part of that final confrontation just as himself, we could even still have bug noire play a primary role.

i get that adrien being part of the battle is a risk, since we saw in chat blanc one option of how it could play out. but we also saw in the collector another potential way adrien might respond to learning that his father is hawkmoth—charging into battle by ladybug’s side. especially if he was given time to process the idea beforehand. it’s not impossible. you’d just have to compose the scene and its buildup a different way. so honestly it feels sort of lazy to just remove him for the sake of ease? and also sort of a waste of narrative potential? the villain being the father of one of the main characters is such an interesting plot element. imagine if luke skywalker did not ever face darth vader. if he never even learned that vader was his father. or if he learned that fact after vader’s death, which was the result of a confrontation he was not present for.

of course, i know adrien is not the protagonist. marinette is. and of course i want her to be empowered by the story. but i’m getting a little tired of what i see as kind of cheap feminism in ML. like, girl power for the sake of visibility so the writers can pat themselves on the back about it, if that makes sense? this show does have so much good feminist power with a strong female lead who has realistic flaws and a big heart, who overcomes self-doubt and other struggles, and who has proven time and again to be a smart, capable leader who has earned the trust of everyone on her team. but all of that sometimes feels undercut by the narrative treatment of adrien—like he has to be put down somehow to elevate marinette. ML has subverted gender roles in a lot of ways by having ladybug lead with her brain while chat noir follows with his heart. and adrien has a lot of other strong feminine associations—the focus on his physical appearance, the expectation of perfection and obedience, his soft and gentle nature, his romanticism, etc. And one of the biggest ones is all the ways he is trapped, all the ways he is pushed down and made to be submissive. they even depict him as a princess locked in a tower, with marinette as the knight in shining armor to save him from the evil dragon (his father). with adrien in that traditionally feminine role, it would have been empowering to see him to take a leading part in his own liberation. instead, he was locked away both literally and symbolically in favor of a solo bug noire confrontation, so marinette could look like a girlboss in her cool new outfit, taking on the bad guy all by herself, even when it would (imo) fit better with the themes of the show and her own character arc for her to fight alongside her partner. but as Thomas Astruc said, “She's Barbie, he's Ken. You don't like it. I get it. It won't change. Anything else?” (X) it just makes me feel that the writers cared more about the cinematic value and feminist brownie points of that battle than its narrative significance—which i feel could only be increased by adrien’s participation. “all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing” … and that is all adrien was allowed to do.

i think a lot of fans at this point are just assuming that whatever feels dissatisfying/off will be fixed in s6. they’re trusting that the writers have a brilliant master plan that we just have to be patient and wait to see come together. idk, maybe i’m just tired. or a little jaded. i think there will be a lot to enjoy in s6, but i’m also prepared for disappointment. i honestly did not love many elements of s4 as well as s5, and i had expectations that weren’t fulfilled there either. i’ve felt let down by the writers many times now, so i expect that many of their future choices will  not resonate with me. but i still love ML, and I am eager to see how everything will unfold. i’ve also read a lot of other analyses of the s5 finale, and there are great points being made on many sides. this is just my personal interpretation and opinion. i did not like the finale when i first watched it, and after sitting on it for months and trying to evaluate my feelings and look at it logically, i still do not like it lol. if you do, great! this isn’t intended as a personal attack on anyone—just me expressing my two cents, which ended up being more like $20. thanks for bearing with me if you read all this ✌️

#ml #mine #ml meta #ml re-creation #ml s5

[wonderwomanpleasesteponme]

Here's an idea I came up with last night. Marinette being Damien's twin and running away from the league of assassins because she couldn't take it is nothing new but the Marinette being trans part is new.

It would also make sense as to why the batfam didn't immediately recognize Marinette as being Damien's twin because of how much she changed. Seriously, last Damien knew he had a twin brother who hated being an assassin not a twin sister who is a magical girl superhero and a fashion designer, so a lot of the information they have on Marinette would be hella outdated.

Everyone in the Akuma class expect for the new kids knows that Marinette is trans. Lila's lies end up getting exposed after she finds out about Marinette being trans, and spinning some lie about how Marinette isn't trans and is pretending to be a girl so she can creep on the actual girls in the class. After that everyone who believed Lila's lie were shook when they heard that because they were there when Marinette was transitioning non medically, and how they are ready to fight Lila for saying that about Marinette.

Tom and Sebine are very supportive of their daughter and anyone who says otherwise I'ma fight them.

#miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #lila rossi #damian wayne #maribat #dc x mlb #cross over #trans character #I feel like the reason why I'm making so many characters trans lately #Is because I think I'm genderfuild and i can't buy a binder because of my parents not being accepting so I'm projecting on character i like

[mochinek0]

Daminette December 2023: 13-Wednesday

Paris couldn't believe what they were seeing: Marinette Dupain-Cheng was in Gotham Academy, in uniform! They hadn't see her in four years! What shocked them even more was seeing her arguing with some guy and she wasn't backing down.

The students in Gotham Academy didn't pay them any attention. Everyone ignored the shouting and yelling; they just kept walking as if they didn't see or hear them.

"Shouldn't you get a teacher?" Nino asked a student passing by.

"For what?" asked the brunette.

The class pointed at the arguing students.

"Wat day is it?" the brunette questioned.

"Wednesday." Max answered, "Does it matter?"

"It's their 'Argue Day'." the Gotham student declared.

"Argue day?" Mylene asked, confused.

"Yeah." the student stated, with a shrug, "Like clockwork. Teachers learned to deal with it. They get competitive, too."

"My boyfriend wouldn't put up with this sort of thing." Lila declared, "He hates violence."

"Oh, who is you boyfriend?" the brunette questioned.

"Damian Wayne." Lila smiled.

The brunette started laughing and pointing at Lila.

"Dude?" the blonde nearby questioned.

"This bitch said Damian Wayne is her boyfriend! She also said he hated violence!" the brunette answered and continued to laugh.

The blonde joined, howling with laughter. The Paris class shifted uncomfortably.

"Listen here, Faker," the blonde spoke, "you're not dating our ice Prince. Not to mention Damian is one of the most violent Waynes to roam these halls."

Lila sniffled, "He just doesn't want the media to know. I'm not lying."

"Well, that's lie number two." the brunette counted, "Damian doesn't care about the media. They gave him the title 'Ice Prince'."

"Do you know how many reporters have broken their arms, hands, or fingers trying to get a scoop from him?" the blonde questioned.

"You the ones lying!" Aly shouted, "Lila said he was kind and helpful Damian Wayne does charity work with her, for the environment!"

"It's not that hard to look up." the blonde scoffed, :About every other weekend, he's in the park casually talking to Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and playign with their hyenas as they plan 'How to green up Gotham'."

Lila paled hearing how he associated with rogues. That hadn't been what she expected.

"Supposedly, his mother is just as bad as they are." the brunette declared, "If not worse."

Lila gulped, trying to figure out how to keep her classmates under her control as her lie began to unravel.

"If anything, it sound like you googled 'rich kid+my age in Gotham' and Damian Wayne popped up first." the blonde responded.

"How can you say that about our friend?" Kim demanded.

The boys pointed to Marinette and the boy arguing still.

"That is Damian Wayne." the brunette answered, "By tomorrow, they'll be back to cuddling and kissing, like they have been for the past three years."

"They basically chose one day a week to let their frustrations out on each other." the blonde spoke, "It just happens to be on Wednesday."

The Parisians turned to Lila for an answer.

"I-I'm sure that's not it." Lila declared in a panic.

"Oh, really?" questioned the blonde boy, "Yo, Mari! How many times did Damian drug your coffee and drag you to bed, last week?"

"Four!" she shouted, still glaring at him.

Damian scoffed, "It was three."

"Liar!" Marinette screamed.

The class watched on in confusion.

"Damian, how many times did Mari make you new clothes last month?" the brunette asked.

"Ten!" Damian exclaimed in frustration.

Marinette scoffed, "Like you don't complain about those 'monkey suits' and how uncomfortable they are."

"I didn't ask you to go out of you way, Angel, and make me those things!" Damian rebutted.

"Oh, so now my designs are things?" Mari declared, "I just wanted you to be comfortable!"

"I'm fine!" the young Wayne sighed, "You need to sleep!"

"How long did she stay up?" the blonde questioned.

"She didn't sleep." Damian growled.

Marinette threw her hands up before resting them on her hips, "I slept on the drive over. I drank Tim's coffee. It usually has at least five espressos. Not the most I've had."

"What?" Damian shouted.

"Ah, so that's the reason this time." the brunette spoke.

"Sorry, Liar, but no one in Gotham will believe that you are anything to Gotham's Ice Prince when there are pictures being posted, like this, by his very own brothers." the blonde declared.

He turned his phone around to see Marinette and Damian dressed in pajamas and curled up in bed together.

"Everyone in Gotham Academy knows they live together at Wayne Manor." he continued, "Not to mention, the moment someone tries to touch her or get in her personal space, he threatens to kill them."

"He had five knives taken away this month." the brunette stated.

"Actually, it was eight." the blonde commented.

"Oh, when did I miss those?" the brunette questioned.

"You were sick for a week." the blonde answered.

"Gotha." the brunette spoke, "So, good luck and welcome to Gotham."

"Have a good Wednesday." the blonde spoke as they walked away.

Marinette yawned, "Why am I yawning? I drank Tim's coffee."

"Todd switched his coffee with decaf." Damian smiled, "You just happened to drink it, instead."

"No." she whined, "You did this on purpose!"

"I did not force you to drink Drake's coffee not did I force you to stay up all night." he answered, "If anything, Todd is upset that you ruined his prank."

"But-" Mari yawned again.

Damian smirked and picked her into his arms, "We are going home and you are going to bed."

"School." Marinette replied.

"I already messaged the teachers on the ride over that e would be missing the next two days." the young Wayne answered, "I've also paid Todd $100 for messing up his plan. In exchange, he will bring you lunch and dinner."

Marinette didn't respond and curled up in his arms. Damian just walked out of the school.

"Okay!" someone shouted, "Who had them making up under fifteen minutes?"

"Awww, man!"

"I could have sworn they would argue longer today."

"Didn't expect her to not sleep."

"Or have decaf."

"If she had just had that coffee."

"How much did you lose?"

"$20."

"Lucky; $30."

"50."

Paris watched on as money was exchanged. Marinette and Damian Wayne's couple argument had gotten so common that people were gambling on it. They started to turn to Lila, who obviously had no idea how to explain what had just happened.

"So, you really were a liar." Nathaniel whispered, "Marinette was right, all along."

"I don't think we'll get to apologize to Marinette," Rose sniffled, "But she looks happy."

"Can't say you will be by the end of this trip, Lila." Alix sneered.

Lila was out of her element as Gotham had quickly spread her lie about dating Damian. No one believed her and if she said anything, they would just laugh at her. Not to metion her own classmates were now ignoring her. This hadn't been what she had planned; it was just another Wednesday. Nothing special about it.

TAGLIST: @maribat-calendar-events@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@missmadwoman@meira-3919@princessdaisysolosyourfaves@blep-23@fangirlingfanatic@darkhinauniverse@ravenr22@im-a-satanic-ritual@ravennm84@bianca-hooks123@a-slytherinish-gryffindor@starling218

#daminette december 2023 #daminette #akuma class #marinette dupain cheng #damian wayne #marinette x damian #damian x marinette #lila lies #lila exposed #bets #gambling #gotham academy #dc x mlb #mlb x dc #wednesday #arguments #tired af marinette #mochinek0

[charlietheepicwriter7]

Hey, Little Songbird

Chapter 33 - AO3

Ten minutes.

Ten minutes of keeping Rossi pinned to the ground while she hissed and spat at him, struggling against the superior strength of the Peacock Miraculous. Ten minutes of kneeling on her torso, unable but not incapable of fighting while King Monkey and Chat Noir picked off the rest of their akumatized classmates. Ten minutes of waiting, Rossi’s connection to Hawkmoth flashing for a few moments before extinguishing.

It was the longest ten minutes of Argus’ life.

The doors of the gym slammed open. Argus couldn’t spare a glance, but multiple people ran into the room, one coming up right behind him. He braced himself. “Oh thank god.”

“Ma—” Argus turned his head to look, but instead of who he was expecting, it was Ladybug behind him. Several police officers had arrived with her. “Ladybug. Did everything go well?”

She nodded, smiling. “Both Hawkmoth and Mayura were arrested and no one was hurt. And now—” She walked around him, so Rossi could see here. “It’s your turn, Lila Rossi. Are you going to surrender the akuma?”

“Never!” She snapped, spit foaming in her mouth. Argus wrinkled his nose.

“Hard way it is, then.” She glanced at Argus. “Do you know where her akumatized object is?”

“No idea. Everything about her is so ugly, it could be anything.”

Rossi hissed at him, trying to bit his arm. He slammed her head back into the floor, cracks radiating out on the wood under her.

Ladybug appraised the akuma. “There really is room for taste. But when Rossi was akumatized previously, the object was…” Reaching down, Ladybug plucked a necklace off Rossi’s neck. He hadn’t noticed it before due to the ugly prom queen aesthetic, but a dainty, tasteful necklace had been there the whole time, hidden in the ruffles of the bust. Ladybug snapped the necklace in half, and a black butterfly flew out. “This.”

Quickly catching the akuma, a loveliness of ladybugs washed over the gym and into the world outside. Damage from the battle healed, cracks fading and shrinking. His classmates transformed back into their normal selves, dazed and confused. Rossi, too, transformed back to normal, with none of the confusion previous akuma victims had. Instead, she continued to glare up at Argus and Ladybug, hands balled into fists (thumbs tucked under her fingers like she’d never learned to punch before, and the sadistic part of Felix really wanted her to try).

Ladybug helped Felix to his feet. His knees cracked from kneeling for so long. “Your costume looks good on you,” Ladybug said suddenly. He blinked at her and she flushed. “It’s… You kept the hoodie look. It suits you.”

What?

What??

Before Felix could truly question whatever that was, Rossi crawled to her feet. Her face had smoothed into false gratitude, a simpering smile trying to placate her audience. “Oh, Ladybug! Thank you so much for saving me—”

Ladybug stepped aside for the two policemen, who hauled her to her feet. She complained about the rough, only to scream when handcuffs clicked around her wrists. “Lila Rossi, you are under arrest for terrorism against the citizens of Paris. Everything you say can and will—”

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Rossi sputtered, trying to pull her other wrist free before it was locked behind her back. “I was an akuma, I can’t be held responsible for helping Hawkmoth! If I need to be arrested, so do they!” Unable to gesture with her hand, she kicked in the direction of dreadlock girl, goth girl, and boy with a skull on his shirt. They looked horrified at the prospect.

He really, really needed to learn his classmates’ names.

The police officers didn’t look inclined to answer, but Argus was ecstatic to inform Rossi of what was going on. He was a hero, at least for the day; he couldn’t let someone walk away ignorant after all! “So, that wasn’t you in the video I took? The video where you can clearly see someone who looks exactly like you snatches an akuma out of the air and negotiates with Hawkmoth for better powers?” He looks back at Ladybug, who was giving him a look. “Oh dear, we ought to go out and search for this mysterious doppelganger then. But… the doppelganger theory doesn’t explain the mountain of other evidence for more crimes we found on you. Whoops.”

“You—” She lunged for Argus, but the officers hold her back. “You ruined my life!” She spat.

Chat Noir approached, crossing his arms, and glaring at the girl. “Ironic, coming from End Days herself.”

Argus snorted. “I know, right?”

Rossi was dragged away by the bobbies, screaming at the top of her lungs about diplomatic immunity and that she’d been framed. Argus rolled his eyes. Turning back to the heroes, he flinched, finding Chat Noir staring at him with an unidentifiable expression. After a few seconds, the hero spoke. “I don’t like you.”

“Chat—”

Argus cocked an eyebrow. “And why should I care?”

Chat Noir glared. “But, you did good in your first fight against an akuma. And hopefully, your last.”

“That was hardly my first fight against an akuma, remember?”

He stepped into Argus’ personal space, staring him down. Argus stopped breathing. “I won’t forget.” He stepped away. “But I guess you were lucky enough to find some people willing to tolerate you. That’s probably the reason why you’re not a loser anymore.”

“Chat Noir!” Ladybug stood in between the two, glaring at her partner. “There was no reason to say that to Argus! He’s the only reason we were able to defeat Hawkmoth!”

Chat Noir’s face darkened, and he looked away. “Yeah.” Like it was planned, Chat Noir’s Miraculous beeped, though the Ladybug and Peacock stayed silent. Ladybug must have recharged on her way over, and Argus never used his ability in battle—Duusu hadn’t even explained how, claiming that it was dangerous—so he was the only one who had to leave or risk his identity. Ladybug offered him a fist bump before he left, and Chat looked like he was about to cry. “Meet me in the usual place? Tonight, at ten?”

“Of course, Chaton. Take all the time you need.”

The black cat hero raced away to parts unknown after whatever that was (although, the dark part of Felix’s mind already had a suspicion he really didn’t like). That left Ladybug alone with the three temporary heroes, along with the three victims. She cleared her throat. “Thank you, everyone. With your help, we managed to finally arrest Hawkmoth—”

“So, who was it?” Chloe asked.

“You find that out tomorrow, with the rest of Paris. I believe a press conference is already in the works for the morning” Ladybug didn’t seem to care about the interruption, used to how Chloe acted. “I need to collect your Miraculous now, but Queen Bee, Argus, since you both have public identities…”

“You want ours back first before collecting the others,” Argus finished, snatching the Bee Miraculous out of Chloe’s hair. She yelped as she detransformed, and Argus tossed the hair comb to Ladybug. There was no sign of a kwami; did that happen when the Miraculous was removed without the transformation phrase? If so…

“Why you do that!?” Chloe screeched at him.

“Don’t act like you were going to return it willingly,” Argus spat back.

King Monkey agreed. “Yeah, you were probably planning to crash another train to impress mommy dearest.” He held out a fist to Argus, and the Peacock hero reluctantly tapped it.

Ripping the brooch off his chest, Argus turned back into Felix and he tossed it at Ladybug. She fumbled, bouncing the jewelry off her arms and chest before clutching it in a move so familiar it was burned into his retinas. “You don’t want to say goodbye to your kwami?” she asked.

Felix snorted. “If I never had to see that hyperactive monster ever again, it would be too soon. Keep the horrible thing.”

Ladybug nodded, gesturing for King Monkey to leave with her. She looked back at him over her shoulder. “I’ll see you soon.”

Felix nodded. And it would be soon.

As in, the next day of class, soon. They sat next to each other, after all.

Taglist: @graduatedmelon @novicevoice@dur55@kris-pines04@18-fandoms-unite-08@moonlightstar64@bee-a-garbage-shipper@sol-o-shade@kittyotakunoir666@tinyterror333@allieoftheenemy@marichat00@xgxmxtx@two-faced-biatch@feliciakainzofspades@evil-cricket@emilytopaz@spicybelladonna@chocolateherringtacofan@user00000003@wannajointhecrabcult@happymonster-pants @duquesapincarrasca  @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen  @sxltinette @kittydemon9000 @thetrashypanda423 @unoriginalmessess @toodaloo-kangaroo @troycattribunny @nikipuppeteer

#felix: wait how do you know i was wearing a hoodie earlier- oh #felinette #ml salt #lila salt #lila rossi's lies are exposed #mlb #miraculous ladybug #felix graham de vanily #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #lila rossi #chloe bourgeois #hey little songbird #should i unblock anon comments after the last chapter? #give lila anon a chance to b!tch and moan like usual? #peacock felix

[jacquesthepigeon]

The thing that gets me is that Lila already publicly exposed herself to everyone

She admitted she compulsively lies about anything and everything regardless of the consequences (though she blamed mental illness for it) to get Marinette back into school

Like

She’s outed herself

People know that she’s a liar even if she supposedly has innocent reasons for doing so

There’s no reason for them to trust her the way they do

It’s ridiculous

#ml salt

[goggles-mcgee]

Too Late: Mylène & Ivan

Latest chapter of the story for @miner249er

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Summary:  Mylène just wanted a calm afternoon and with a surprise visit from Ivan she thought it would be just that plus cuddles but then they heard the news.

Mylène had lately been in a funk. Well, that was putting it mildly, to be frank she felt numb. At first she had been in a cluster of emotions at the betrayal of someone she considered a friend and role model and at the akumatization of another friend who fell from said friend status due to the betrayer. Then there was the whole disappearance consequent of the akumatization and so many other things that had festered in the background unseen or willfully ignored. In the beginning, just thinking of Marinette sent her into a flurry of guilt-ridden anger and sadness, the feelings had been so strong and she hadn’t had the strength to keep them. She lost control. That was truly how simple it was. Mylène had lost control over herself and her emotions, her despair and fury came out in such a destructive force that it still haunted her to think about. She had tried going to simple therapy groups, but they did nothing and her father and Ivan noticed. 

Ivan, her poor Ivan, he beat himself up at first and some days he still did. He had fallen into a depression so deep that Mylène had feared she would lose him, her boyfriend had refused to eat, to shower, to get out of bed, hell there were days he refused to sleep because his night terrors came back. Mylène knew that Ivan had always liked Marinette, not in a romantic way, the boy had confessed he had always seen Marinette as more of a younger sister than anything. The fact he didn’t protect her, the fact he hadn’t been there for her, it had killed him and the guilt had been eating him slowly but surely. It was around that time when both their parents decided maybe it would be best if both teens checked into a mental facility. Mylène knew it was nothing to be ashamed of, her own mother had had to be in one mental facility or another for some of her issues. It had been a great help to her mother before her death. Mylène and her father never blamed the facilities for her mother’s death.

Though it was something she thought about a lot over the years especially when Hawkmoth first made an appearance. She had been thankful that he had never manipulated those in a facility, those like her mother, those who had a hard time with emotions whether that be processing, controlling, or anything else in that area. Mylène always hated the early days of Hawkmoth where she had never been certain if he would target those people so she had constantly been on edge. It wasn’t that she thought the villain cared enough to not manipulate them, it was just that she realized that he was smart enough not to. Even despite the fact that he repeatedly akumatized a baby and a pigeon obsessed man. So it was a big relief when she and probably all of Paris realized he would not go after the mentally ill, that was one of the only bits of peace they could truly hold on to. 

She had believed that once Hawkmoth was defeated that Paris would know peace once more. It was a belief that had carried her through most of her days, it was a belief that lit the fire of hope in her, it was a belief that blinded her. Mylène had never noticed the rose-tinted lenses that had been fitted to her eyes that made her more than a little naive to Paris’s terrorist problem. That’s what it was. It wasn’t some big bad villain like in a cartoon. It wasn’t some over-the-top narcissistic Shakespeare antagonist. It was a terrorist. There was no sugar coating what had happened in Paris, not even to those who wished to put it all behind them. Mylène wanted to put it all behind her, she had foolishly thought she would even be able to do so when Hawkmoth was defeated, but then he was actually defeated and nothing was how she expected. It was an ugly thing but Mylène despised that things had not gone the way she had wanted, the way she had believed. 

Yes Hawkmoth was defeated, never to terrorize Paris again with his akumas but there was no peace. Things weren’t suddenly better. People were prone to emotional outbursts whether it be randomly crying at something as simple as dropping a cup of coffee, to yelling at someone till you could see a vein popping out all because said somebody accidentally bumped into them, or even the odd people who just burst into laughter because they got a papercut. Unfortunately those were all things Mylène had been witness to and it still shocked her. She wasn’t foolish enough to think that Paris wouldn’t have some kind of damage left over from Hawkmoth but she never thought it would be this bad or to this extent. Plus she had always assumed Ladybug would be there to help them rebuild and heal when it was all said and done.

But Ladybug was gone.

And Mylène fully believed that Marinette had been Ladybug. There were just too many coincidences and honestly it just made a lot of sense. It explained too many things she had overlooked or had ignored like the frequent disappearances during akuma attacks, the tardiness to…well everything, the lack of sleep, and most importantly, most damningly, it explained Marinette’s distrust of Lila Rossi. Ladybug would know who she was best friend’s with. That was just another thing that made everything that much worse. They pushed Ladybug to the breaking point, they pushed their defender over the edge all because they believed the worst of her. Because even in her normal life they held her on a pedestal that they believed she should never have strayed from. 

It was unfair and Mylène wished she had realized that sooner. The pedestal had only hurt Marinette and them more than she or anyone could ever imagine. She was dubbed their ‘Everyday Ladybug’ and it just seemed so natural to hold her to those standards. Marinette had always been amazing and kind and loyal, but it was like when they bestowed upon her that ironic title they all expected her to act like it twenty-four seven. Marinette was expected to be unfailingly loyal, she had to put them above everyone else, especially the girl squad. She had to be sympathetic and kind, the bigger person, she could never be selfish or angry over being wronged. She had to be generous and trustworthy. In short, Marinette had to be a lot of things for them and just thinking about it all was enough to make Mylène sick to her stomach. 

It was a wonder that Marinette got anything done!

Truly they hadn’t realized everything she had done for them until she was gone, even when she was being isolated she still did favors or class president duties. She could have left them to fend for themselves and quit as their class president but she never did. Even despite all they did to her she never gave up or took the easy way out, she kept fighting. Or at the very least she kept trying, if only they had opened their eyes sooner. She knew it was pointless to wish and to wonder about the what ifs but if Mylène was being honest, it was one of the only things keeping her going. It was one of the things that helped her get out of bed, but what helped the most was her hope that she would see Marinette again. Maybe it was silly to still cling to hope especially with the state Paris was in but it felt like all Mylène had was hope.

So that’s what she would do, she would hope to see her friend once again and maybe they would be able to talk. They didn’t deserve to be forgiven by her, but maybe Marinette would at least hear their apologies. Even if she didn’t, even if all she did was come back and never speak to any of them again that would be fine too. It would be fine because it would mean that Marinette was back home and that she was safe and no longer under the control of the akumas. Or…well, Mylène wanted to believe that The Protector was not actually Marinette because what that akuma did in the name of justice and the name of protecting the people of Paris…it scared her. No other akuma had gone to those lengths to get their revenge or carry out their goal. Sure there were some that were pretty violent, they ended up doing a lot of property damage but they were nothing compared to The Protector.

Mylène hadn’t seen the press coverage of M Agreste and Mlle Sancoeur being brought out of Agreste Manor but she had heard in graphic detail what they looked like and what had happened to them. It was all anyone and everyone had been talking about for so long after Marinette’s disappearance and it was horrifying. The majority of people praised The Protector for what she had done, some said she should have finished the job and of course there were those who feared what the akuma had done. Those who feared her said she had gone too far and if Mylène was honest she was one of those few. It scared her to think that her former friend was capable of putting people in the hospital. She knew it was because of the akuma but the nightmares she had, it was just Marinette that did it. No akuma. Just her. 

“Mylène, My Dear, Ivan is here.” Mylène’s father announced softly.

“Oh. Thank you for letting him in Papa.” She hadn’t even known Ivan was coming over, but usually he called or texted before coming over. With a glance at her phone she noticed he had actually called her and texted. Oh well she felt foolish, she had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn’t even heard her phone ring or chime. With a plan to apologize, Mylène pushed herself off her bed and made her way to the living room where she and Ivan usually hung out when her dad had somewhere to be. Apparently he had an audition and she really hoped he would get the part, he had been having a bit of bad luck when it came to auditions lately. 

“Hey Ivan, I’m so sorry I missed your call.” 

“It’s okay Mylène, I figured you must have been preoccupied but Mom baked a pie and I figured you would like some.” Ivan said with a sheepish smile as he held up a container. It was the first thing to make Mylène smile that day. 

“That’s so sweet of you Ivan, thank you so much.” She said as she made her way into the kitchen to grab some plates and forks. It amused her when Ivan followed her to help out, he was always doing little things like that. 

“You two have fun. Mylène I’ll be back home in two hours, if the auditions go longer than that I will phone you. Ivan, look after her for me will you?” Mylène’s father asked as he shoved on his hat and coat in the doorway. 

“Of course M Haprele.” Ivan responded with a short nod. The serious look on his face made Mylène blush. 

“I love you Mylène! I left money on the counter if you want to order a pizza.” Mylène’s father said before he kissed the top of her head and ran out the door, Mylène barely had enough time to return his ‘I love you.’ 

“Well, how about we eat in the living room and watch some TV? We can stream that anime you were talking about last week.” Mylène suggested as she placed one of the slices of pie on one plate and another on the second plate while Ivan grabbed some cups and filled them with water. 

“Sounds good.” Ivan agreed as they carried everything into the living room and set it down on the coffee table.

Once they were settled, Ivan with his one blanket that Mylène had bought him for Christmas that he left at her house for specifically when they hung out, and Mylène in her nest of blankets, Ivan picked up the remote and turned on the TV. Neither were surprised when the channel they saw was the news, Mylène’s dad had been watching the news a lot nowadays, it was almost all he consumed besides his audition materials. Mylène made a small noise that Ivan hummed back to as he made his way to flip through the sources on the TV before he stopped and stared hard at the screen. Mylène didn’t know what he was so caught up by until she heard the voice of Nadja Chamack. 

“Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news. Good evening Paris. Or it would have been a good evening if I did not have the… misfortune to report the gruesome murder of one of Collège Françoise Dupont’s own professors.” Nadja’s voice cut through the heavy silence that had filled Mylène’s living room as she and Ivan stared wide-eyed at the screen. Mylène’s heart was beating in her ears, in her fingers, in her chest, everywhere. She hoped beyond hope that the sudden drop of her stomach, the sudden sinking feeling she felt wasn’t what she thought it was.  

“Madame Caline Bustier nee Bisset was found in her home in the eleventh arrondissement by her sister Delphine Bisset. Miss Bisset was heard to have said that if she had not found the body in her sister’s home, she would not have been able to positively identify it. And who is responsible for such a horrific crime?” Mylène felt sick. Her teacher, her favorite teacher, was dead. Murdered. Who would do such a thing? She was vaguely aware of the fact that she was crying but she did feel when Ivan held her. He was shaking. 

“It is reported that on the walls of the home, written in the victim’s…blood was as follows, ‘She was wrong. She committed a crime. She was a stain on The Protector’s pure cloth. We The Followers have righted this wrong. We got justice.’” Nadja’s voice shook but here and there but Mylène felt like the whole world was shaking in tandem. The Followers. It had been The Followers. One of the most radical groups that had formed after Marinette had disappeared. They were large in number though no one really knew the actual number and that frightened them, yet the media and the law enforcements never made a statement about their growing numbers. Mylène knew why, it was because of fear, they didn’t want to incite panic and fear once more in the people of Paris. 

What was not to fear though? The Followers broke into people’s houses if they thought they had a connection to “Her” and would ransack it for anything she had made. Mylène didn’t even want to know what they did with the stuff, they probably created some weird creepy shrine. Ivan and the rest of Kitty Section besides Luka, had their Kitty Section costumes stolen.  Luka had been smart enough to put his in storage somewhere, he never did tell them where he put it, but it wasn’t like they cared at the time. They had taken the gifts Marinette had made for them for granted, they didn’t treat them preciously and they were gone much like their former friend. 

“You heard that right, Paris. The infamous radical group who call themselves The Followers has claimed responsibility for the heinous crime against Caline Bustier. Though the police are not taking questions at the time nor making an official statement there were some who expressed their disgust at the utter disregard of human life.” Madame Chamack’s voice rang through Mylène’s living room, it filled every corner, every nook and cranny, and it clogged Mylène’s very ears. 

“One such officer who will remain anonymous has said that it was one of, if not the, most gruesome murder they have ever seen. Or that our police department has ever seen to date. Now it’s not confirmed but…it is highly speculated that The-The Followers had planned to move Madame Bustier’s body to a more…public area, in order to put it on display. Again, this has not been confirmed but, we can only speculate why they would want to do such an evil act.” It was clear that Madame Chamack was shaken by what she was reporting, she was pale and kept having to pause and swallow, even take some sips of water before she could continue her report, but Mylène really wished she would just stop. She didn’t want to hear anymore and yet she couldn’t bring herself to turn off the TV or change the channel even though she had the remote in a death grip. 

She could feel Ivan trying to pry the remote out of her hands gently but she felt like she couldn’t relax one bit, not even her grip. She was as tightly wound as a wind-up toy that was about to have the key released. “Mylène…” Ivan pleaded softly.

“Though they are not yet giving out a statement, the police have told us to warn everyone to stay vigilant and stay safe. There has been talk from a source in the Mayor’s office that the old Akuma Curfew might be reinstated until those who are responsible for this immoral act are detained and persecuted. Before we break I would just like to say, we persevered through Hawkmoth’s reign, we can persevere through these trying times. For ourselves. For each other. And for our former hero Ladybug. We’ll be right back so stay tuned, Paris.” With those parting words the commercial break stabbed through the already fragile atmosphere that surrounded Mylène and Ivan

The two held each other as they cried as the remote fell to the ground and lay forgotten. The people of Paris were once more in a state of fear.

Next Chapter

#angst #ml angst #rota #too late #revolt of the akuma #too late commission #mylene haprele #ivan bruel #mylene's dad #miraculous ladybug #ml salt fic #lila rossi salt #nadja chamack #lila rossi's lies exposed #lila's lies exposed #a little comfort #hurt and comfort #haha this one hurt #goggles commission

[ijustliketoreadstuff]

Lila made some investments

In "Protection", Lila reveals herself in a lie by explaining how she has always created the illusion in which she makes it seem like she helps others, when in reality it is everyone else who has been manipulated into helping her. However, back in "Chameleon", after Lila comes to terms with the fact that Marinette would not would not heed her warning and halt any attempts to expose her and all her lies, we see Lila take some time throughout series to make some "investments" to help in her fight against Marinette.

Times when we saw Lila go out of her way to baby sit Alya and Nino's younger siblings in "Time tagger", participate in the special video message for Adrien in "Felix", or attend Sabine's class in "Quilin", were far from moments when Lila was willing to be considerate enough to help others, they were an investment , and sadly, Kagami was now one of them.

(Back in "Perfection", we find out that Lila had come into contact with Kagami, offering both her friendship as well as advice on friendships.)

If Lila was ever to continue her façade and plans to ruin Marinette's life, she needed to not only get closer to those who were the closest to Marinette, but also convince them that she really was just as much of a good person as she pretended to be, resulting in Marinette's words falling on deaf ears if and when she attempted to expose her or tell others she was a fraud, because if she did, how could they believe such horrible things about Lila when they genuinely believe they have seen first hand how kind and considerate she can be.

In regards to Kagami, Lila's plan was simple, to befriend the girl(Kagami) who had lived much of her life in solitude and without friends, while also helping her better understand relationships and bonds, that is, so long as it was under her terms. Lila could have focused her attention on anyone else, but unlike everyone else, Kagami had something no one else in Marinette’s social circle had, a fragile innocence, a lack of experience with friendships, a connection to Marinette that could be twisted into a tragedy(more here), a former relationship with Adrien and a great sense of shame and unfamiliarity in simply living with her own complex emotions, viewing them as a weakness in her pressured life to maintain the image of perfection her family expected her to be.

Lila knew Kagami cherished her friendship with Marinette, but if Lila was to ever sever that connection, she needed to seclude Kagami and convince her that she was the only one in her life to confide in and trust, and that all other friendships in her life were meaningless. Which is why of all the things Lila could have talked to Kagami about in "Perfection", she chose the one thing that not only made Kagami vulnerable, but also damaged the friendships she already had, which was the concept that there were requirements Kagami needed to fulfill in order to NOT be considered someone's friend, requirements that Lila carefully worded on a list to ensure that she couldn't meet, but also make Kagami believe she fit well enough to believe she was never worthy enough to be considered Marinette's friend.

(Some of the things on the list specified that a person does not consider you a friend if they 1. never pick up the phone, 2. use a different language only their real friends will understand. Lila always picked up the phone and she was always straight forward when talking to Kagami, even if it was all a lie)

Although Kagami's situation was resolved near the end of "Perfection", Kagami never realized that the list Lila gave her was absurd, only that a simple misunderstanding had occurred between her and Marinette. Regardless of Lila's plan failing to sever Kagami's bond with Marinette in that moment, the situation still played out in her favor as Kagami's realization near the end of "Perfection" left her willing to accept Lila's friendship with open arms.

Although no one but Kagami knew it was Lila who created the list, it did not matter anymore, it fulfilled it's purpose by making Lila appear as someone who was willing to be what Kagami desperately wanted, a friend who would reach out to her and listen to her.

(Ladybug understood what Kagami desperately wanted, to be heard)

Unfortunately, when Kagami accepted Lila's friendship, it was Lila who placed herself as a friend with a far deeper connection to her than anyone else, and whom Kagami should consider above all others as she alone proclaimed that she viewed Kagami not just as a friend, but a sister. Lila wanted Kagami to feel as if the bond they had as friends was so strong they actually considered each other family, something Kagami had never experienced before but would have likely greatly appreciated and viewed highly.

In "Protection", Lila continued to present herself as someone whom Kagami could really talk to, someone who could always be there for her, and although Lila did not commit to these things wholeheartedly, for someone like Kagami who had lived a lonely life, it was enough just to see a "friend" like Lila show up for even a little in the midst of her busy schedule.

(Kagami appreciates Lila seeing her after practice)

The more Lila was present in little ways, the more she could slowly slip in how Marinette hated her for no good reason and make Kagami question why Marinette, or anyone for that matter, would ever hate someone as "good" and "trusting" as Lila.

The moment Kagami felt comfortable enough to tell Lila of the plans everyone set to help Marinette, was the moment Lila proceeded with her next attempt to sever Kagami's friendship with Marinette, but in order to do this, Lila needed Kagami to feel ashamed of herself, and what better way than by resurfacing the pain of her lost love with Adrien. Lila knew Kagami would never intentionally hurt someone, much less Marinette, but she would if she was akumatized into someone she was not, all Lila had to do was direct Kagami's negative emotions towards Marinette, a chance that came sooner than expected as Kagami confided in her something she could not tell anyone else, her rekindled love for Adrien(more here).

As Lila heard Kagami speak out about her struggles and frustrations, Lila simply looked on and smiled, pleased to see Kagami so vulnerable and secluded from the others as she felt her feelings would only trouble everyone else amidst their efforts to help Marinette and Adrien. Lila had Kagami right where she wanted, all that was left was to give Kagami one more little push, a reminder of how "perfect" she was in the situation.

At the beginning of "Protection", Lila told Kagami she was perfect, and although Marinette and Ladybug are helping Kagami realize that her imperfections were nothing to be ashamed of, it was Lila who reminded Kagami of the duty she had to her family, that she is perfect and must always be perfect, but she would never be truly perfect if she did not cast aside the importance she felt towards Marinette's friendship, the very friendship that led her to lose what she wanted most, Adrien.

(As the akuma approached Kagami, Lila once again tells Kagami how perfect she is, reminding her that she is not like others and must not feel upset, she must suppress her feelings and pain, but in doing so, Kagami's pain would worsen and further attract the akuma.)

All of Lila's lies towards Kagami narrowed down to one simple suggestion, that Marinette lied to her, manipulated her and everyone else, stole Adrien from her and took what could have been a happy and meaningful future, so as a result, she had every right to go against Marinette to take everything back

Near the end of "Protection", as Lila realized Kagami had come back to her senses and was now confronting her about the lies she spoke about Marinette, Lila was still able to convince Kagami that she had no intention to hurt anyone, because regardless of the horrible things she said before about Marinette, it was in this very moment that Lila’s little investment came into play.

Lila did not deny the things she said about Marinette, Kagami knows now that Lila does not like Marinette, but the moment Kagami spoke about how she loved her just as much as Marinette, was the moment Lila knew that what little time she spent in pretending to be a good friend to Kagami had paid off.

Lila genuinely made Kagami believe she cared for her, that there was too much importance in their "friendship", as such, it was not worth losing so quickly, so as a result, Kagami did not end things between them right away, instead, she offered Lila a chance to stay friends if her feelings were genuine, and of course, Lila accepted, not because her feelings were genuine, but because she was not done with Kagami.

Kagami made it clear she was not a puppet for Lila to use, but to Lila, another chance will come along where Kagami can still be used, so long as she is still innocent enough to believe that what they have is a real friendship and not a toxic one, something Lila had ironically previously warned her about within her lie about Marinette.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #tales of ladybug and cat noir #lila rossi #kagami tsuguri #thomas astruc #ml ladybug #marinette dupan chang #adrien agrest #ml perfection analysis #ml protection analysis #ml season 5 #mlb s5 spoilers #ml s5 spoilers