#she doesn't have to stay with adrien and the kids. like they accepted she might want to leave

[rosie-b]

🦮 fill this empty space (ask game)

(link to the summary)

This turned out to be... longer than a snippet, and like the summary, angstier than I expected. It's been that kind of week ig! But there's a promising ending because I needed one :)

It had been a warm summer day when the old Marinette died.

The new Marinette woke up surrounded by golden light, soft, green grass, and the soft murmurings of a stream in northern France. It was perhaps the best way for her rebirth to happen, in a calm, relaxing environment far from the place she somehow knew was home.

She met her family there. They already knew her, and called her "maman," or "ma femme," or "my lady."

Marinette was no one's lady. She never had been, but according to video evidence and the testimony of her husband and children and best friend, that was one of the many roles her past self had filled.

Marinette did not know how to fill any of those old roles anymore. But because of the secret, magical way she'd chosen to lose her memories, she couldn't let anyone know this fact. She had to study years worth of business lessons in mere weeks, preparing for her return to Paris and the international company she would soon be in charge of running again.

At least her past self had accounted for this new Marinette's incompetence. But no one else seemed to see that she wasn't the same woman she had been once, back when a kwami lived in her purse and villains of the day (and year) kept plaguing Paris.

Adrien, the man past-Marinette had married, professed to still be in love with her. He saw some of the differences between the new Marinette and the old one, but claimed they weren't nearly as big as Marinette thought they were. And he chose to spend most of his time around her, so maybe he was right. He whispered praises for each small thing she did, both when they were alone and in public; took the time to learn her new habits; made her fresh coffee for when she woke up two hours after he did; stayed out of her bed to help her feel comfortable.

Marinette could see why her past self had loved him. It was something both halves of her were beginning to share, a love for this man who found a way to bring joy to her life even when it had been turned upside down.

But it didn't change the fact that the new Marinette was not the same woman he'd married. That fact was written into the vows Adrien and the past Marinette had exchanged; the way they had split up their chores; the daily schedule that Adrien still remembered while the new Marinette did not.

To Marinette, this new self of hers was nothing more than a facade made to cover the void her past self had left behind. She was thirty years old and as empty inside as a newborn baby, with no memories to guide her through this unfamiliar world.

Marinette was an icon, the magazines said. A paragon of virtue in an age of corruption, one half of both Paris' favorite couples, a woman who managed to be a world-famous CEO and an attentive mother at the same time.

That wasn't the new Marinette's reality. She didn't even know her children's middle names, though she was learning their favorite desserts, sports, and hobbies.

Most days, it was like learning a foreign language, and it felt just as isolating when she got something wrong or tried to remember something she thought she knew but actually didn't. Sometimes, this new life of hers was crushing, a drain on her already empty self, taking the last bit of Marinette out of her.

But not always.

As out of place as Marinette felt in her own life, the people in it still felt right somehow. They'd been there for her when she woke up; they were there to hug and comfort her when she cried in the night, to help teach her about her own life and tell her about theirs, and to listen when she said she felt different. They loved her, that much was clear, and they promised to love her no matter which Marinette she was; the old one with all her memories or the new one just fumbling through life.

And somehow, even though she claimed not to feel anything more for them than for other strangers at first, Marinette still loved them back. Their presence soothed the ache she felt in her chest, the one she felt when she couldn't remember, and she found herself more than missing them when they weren't there. She looked forward to hearing about their day, to learning their middle names; she held on to the facts they told her about themselves like sweet gifts of gold and honey, like they were all she needed to survive, to fill the empty space her memories had left behind.

The new Marinette was not the old one, and she never would be.

But maybe that was okay. The new Marinette had her own space, too; it began here, in this remote, rural town near the seashore, and it would expand back to Paris, to the place where the old Marinette had lived.

Marinette's home had always been her family, the people she loved. That was something she knew without having to remember it, and something she was more sure of every day.

So she studied the journals her past self had written, re-learned how to design, baked bread beside Adrien, sang songs with her children and stayed by their side. If her mind was an empty slate, then she was going to fill it with love, the same love she'd chosen before and was choosing again.

And someday, this new Marinette would feel whole again.

Thanks for the ask! I hope you enjoyed <3

#ask game #anon #sooo some backstory #this au takes place in the future obviously #after adrien and marinette got married and had those three or four kids they want #marinette didn't want to give up her memories #but they finally got all the miraculous back and the celestial guardian said she had to #(i don't usually vibe with that happening but hhhh it's been a week) #so marinette picked a time and place where she'd feel safest giving up her memories and took her family with her on vacation #gave up the guardianship and gave herself the rest of the vacation to figure out what exactly she'd forgotten and who she is #she doesn't have to stay with adrien and the kids. like they accepted she might want to leave #and sometimes she wants to #but ultimately she's choosing them and they're choosing her and she's starting again #as a new Marinette and as the old one who still lives in her even if she can't see it herself #she's always Marinette and she will always have a place in the world and with her family #ps: if you are still reading. let me know if I should put this on ao3 or not ^^ #rosie-b writing #adrinette #ml au #ml fanfic

[kisilinramblings]

I wonder. On many enemies au the writers always said that lb has been on solo duty for years (usually 2-3 years) without temp hero and still pinning on Adrien. My question is considering her canon personality and how it's going in the show so far, do you think she could stay strong for that long without being stressed for juggling both side of her life without temp hero or cn? Let's say master fu is still around and miracle queen never happen but the event before is still happen.

First, let's dismantle a common misconception. Canonically, the events in the show are set during the same schoolyear. During Feast, Alya mentionned Ladybug and Chat Noir have been active for only a few months.

This is not uncommon in fiction. Like in Pokémon TV show, how Ash travels through different regional tournaments without aging much. Like how the Simpsons on their every day are still the same age despites 30 seasons and several Halloween and Xmas specials and even if technology from then and nowadays are different. They have flashbacks and flashforwards episodes from time to time, but they do come back to the present timeline during which Bart is 10, Lisa 8 and Maggie is still a baby.

This narrative device is called a Floating Timeline or Sandbox Timeline. I invite you to read about it. That doesn't mean there is no narrative arcs, just that the settings and other element can adapt or remain set for the sake of the story rather than have the characters age just because the real world is aging and adjust the story in consequences. Neither options are bad. Both offers pros and cons and it really depends on what the creator wants to go with.

Anyway, back to your ask. Alright, let's imagine than S3 finale was indeed different. That Fu is still safe and helping at the end and that Chloé never got akumatized and revealed the identity of the other Temporary Holders. And HM doesn't find the translated version of the Grimoire at the end. Therefore, Shadow Moth never happens and Mayura stops showing up because Nathalie is bedridden. Gabriel, as Hawkmoth, is relying solely on the power of the Butterfly Miraculous and if often reakumatizing people because he knows where to hit. On the side, he might however be tempted to look into an unaware ally to become the new Peacock Holder as Sentimonsters have they use. But since the Peacock is still broken, it is for a limited time only.

Gonna split the post here as it will be long.

For this alternate S4, Marinette and Luka would still broke up imo. Idem for Adrien and Kagami. Because both don't have their heart into being in a relationship even if they wanted said relationship. Marinette reaching the conclusion she shouldn't be in a romantic relationship would still happen and she would still be heartbroken about that fact even if Fu does reassure her it is for the greater good.

Marinette wouldn't have revealed her secret identity to Alya because she would still have Fu around. Solely relying on him as well. But Fu would still be on the move as he cannot stay in one place for too long since Hawkmoth knows who he is.

Su-Han would still travel to Paris. He would go after Fu for the Miracle Box and try to retrieve LB and CN Miraculous. All three would have to prove Su-Han he is in the wrong. In this version, while LB and CN might keep their Miraculous, Su-Han could end up in possession of the Miracle Box. Three possibilities here :

Fu officially gives up the Box to Su-Han and has to sacrifices his memories;

Fu relinques the Box but to Ladybug instead as a power move because he doesn't trust the Order after what he had to endure at their hands and we are kinda back on the S4 we got;

Su-Han takes back the Box, but accepts that Fu keeps his memories as he knows both kids identity along with the option to allow him to keep one single Miraculous with him.

For the sake of the exercice, let's go with the third option. Ladybug loses her access to the Miracle Box and Chat Noir and her would therefore depend on Su-Han’s judgment and candidate selection if they need help on their missions. All who would be adults. Who may be more loyal to the Guardian than to Ladybug herself.

Ladybug is still needed on the field because she is the one who can repair everything. Chat Noir still shows up because he wants to support Ladybug, but if the adults are calling the shots and doesn't trust him to be helpful, then he may still undergo this arc where he questions who he is and how he can contribute to the team.

Something that would could still be occuring would be Ladybug relying less and less on Chat Noir, keeping him more at a distance and more in the dark as she depends and relies on those new adult heroes to take over. Because the Chat Blanc trauma would still be there. What changed when battling CB despite all the other supervillains is that she saw an alternate timeline in which she failed to protect Chat and everyone in Paris. An alternate timeline in which everyone including herself die and only Chat Blanc remains and is severely hurt and going crazy. A timeline in which nothing is fix and everything is destroyed at the end. A dreadful and apocalyptic result of her mistake, of her failing. That is the main difference between all the other akumatized they have fought so far and Chat Blanc.

Fu could be interfering during this alternate S4 to limit the Ladynoir conflict, but he probably wouldn't know what is happening to Marinette either.

Marinette would still push to find a way to prevent reakumatization. Pressuring Fu. But without Alya's fresh perspective, I doubt they would be able to find a solution. Which would frustrate Marinette even more.

Optigami and Sentibubbler don't happen as Gabriel has no information he could use there.

Hack-San could still happen IF Hawkmoth did found a reliable ally at this point. But just the premise of Marinette has to leave for a weekend and needs the Ladybug Miraculous to stay back in Paris could still occur. With Marinette leaving her Miraculous in Fu's care instead of Alya. (But Alya could be the one candidate suggested by Marinette). Upon seeing another Ladybug Holder, Chat Noir could still believe something has happened to Ladybug but this time, he could believe Su-Han is the one behind this due to the miscommunication. Fu would have been the one to fix mix-up.

If Hawkmoth does catch up this distrust between Chat and the Celestial Guardian, then, he would try to exploit it someway. Which would need preparation and planting. It would have the potential of a season finale.

Unlike the other temporariry Holders who would be more resilient and showing comprehension upon seeing adult Holders taking their place, if Chloé sees someone else use the Bee Miraculous while she still believed she was the only Queen Bee, she would be very mad about losing her privilege. Cue for Hawkmoth akumatizing her and have her take on either Ladybug or Su-Han or both.

I believe that Ladybug relying on those new Adult heroes and Su-Han vs Chat Noir wanting to help but feeling in the way and being patronized would further push the Ladynoir conflict.

Remember how Ladybug follows Bunnyx's instructions and let her lead while Chat Noir was getting impatient and couldn't stand doing nothing? Timetagger would have only been a foreshadow to this.

Ladybug would be dependant of those new adult Holders as it relieves her of some of the pressure as well as reassuring her while Chat Noir would want to be independant, to have more liberty and more fun because this new team dynamic with Su Han at the lead would just remind Adrien on his own home life where he has to do what the adults say.

If there was a huge fight between Chat Noir and Su-Han and Ladybug was undecisive or worse sided with Su-Han, Chat Noir would be tempted to renounce his Miraculous or be subject to akumatization. Depending on which you prefer.

#miraculous ladybug #ml alternate scenario