#the class and the akumas were always my favourite part of the show so both of those getting sidelined this season bothered me

[spittyfishy]

What did you think of Season 5 of ML, if you have seen it?

So, I have seen season 5 and frankly… I wasn’t a fan.

Season 5 was just chocked full of missed opportunities, because there were some interesting ideas there but the show's writing fumbled the execution so hard it was difficult to watch at times. Just seeing character assasination after character assasination unfold on screen was so unpleasant. I don’t think a single character came out of season 5 unscathed, I’m wracking my brain for anyone that got better this season, or at least didn’t get worse in some way, and I can’t think of any.

To be fair, there were a few bits I liked. A couple akuma designs were good (Hoaxer, Dark Humour, Queen Mayor, and Ryukomori). I thought the Ryukomori episode was well done, I’d probably say it was the best of the season (which is a low bar). But everything else with Kagami was bad. Full honesty I hate Felix and what his role in the story has been so far, but I especially don’t like that Kagami got brought down with him. Felix is the entire reason Hawkmoth got EVERY OTHER MIRACULOUS and it seems like everyone forgot that?? He didn’t get any consequences At All, and yet when Chloé worked with Hawkmoth (when he already had the miraculous for the record) she was painted as the worst person on earth.

I know I’m not the only one who’s pointed out the double standard between how the girl characters are treated compared to the boys, but it really got highlighted this season. Male characters like Andre, Jaggedstone, Felix, and even Hawkmoth himself can do any number of horrible things and still be ‘sympathetic’, but the two fourteen year old girls are irredeemably evil?

I’ll admit I'm biased, Chloé has been my favourite favorite character since I started watching in season one, but she really deserved better than the show gave her. I don’t have an issue with her staying a villain, in fact I think she worked really well as a minor antagonist in season one, she moved the story along and was entertaining to watch. But the last two seasons they’ve made her out to be this giant threat, but haven’t let her actually do anything! She’s been nothing more then a lacky to Lila and Hawkmoth, as far as having Lila in her ear telling her exactly what to say. If Chloé is as bad as the show claims then she shouldn’t need other characters to hold her hand and tell her how to be mean.

But the writing is just like that. They really need to get better at ‘show don’t tell’, and even more importantly, consistency. Because they keep adding things after the fact and retconning things from the earlier seasons to try and clap back at fans criticisms, and it’s just sad. I’ll never stop complaining about the absolute train wreck that was Derision. They made Chloé worse then she was in season one, and made Kim so much dumber then he needed to be. At the beginning of season one Kim was characterized as a bully, he antagonized Ivan in Stone Heart and helped Chloé willingly in episodes like LadyWifi. But for Derision Chloé had to trick him into pranking Marinette? Why?

The pacing in that episode was even worse, because so much of it was dedicated to a flash back everything else was rushed at the end. And Marinette saying she’d never crush on anyone again if she didn’t know everything about them was clearly just the writers trying to justify her frankly creepy actions in earlier seasons because people pointed out that it wasn’t cute or funny it was just weird. And her whole line and issues in that episode flat out don’t work as a retcon because A: why even crush on Adrian at all if she vowed not to like anyone associated with Chloé, and B: we’ve already seen her in a relationship with Luka where she didn’t show ANY of the obsessive behaviour she showed Adrian OR freaking out about going on dates. AND ON TOP OF THAT there’s been two other timelines where her and Adrian have started a relationship (Chat Blanc, Ephemeral) and she hasn’t had any of the issues that come up in Derision.

It’s just such a lazy way of writing the story, and that’s really the core issue with this season. It feels lazy, like the writers couldn’t be bothered to watch their own show and make plots that fit in the world they’ve already built.

Miraculous is a franchise that’s dear to my heart, it’s how I met my best friend and really became comfortable sharing my art online, and I still really like creating content related to the characters, but I’ve been very disappointed in the show since about the end of season three. I still have a small amount of hope that maybe the show will turn itself around and improve, but it’s dwindling.

But at least when cannon goes off it’s rocker that’s what fan works are for!

#this got longer then I intended and that’s even after cutting a bunch of other complaints lol #no matter how bad the show gets I doubt I’ll stop making fan art tho so there’s that lol #the class and the akumas were always my favourite part of the show so both of those getting sidelined this season bothered me #I don’t like the romance elements because like #these are 14/15 year olds why are we even discussing soul mates?? #people that age will have any number of crushes yes #but it’s kinda too young to actually start dating? #plus neither Marinette or Adrian are really in a position where they’d have the time to dedicate to a relationship it would need #anyway lol #how do I tag this? #miraculous salt #kinda? #miraculous season 5

[silvia7272]

1 ~ My ‘Lying’ Prologue

You won’t believe how I had tried to write how Marinette was going to meet Rosina but then I started writing more and more ML-Class Salt and I couldn’t stop myself. It was quite enjoyable so I thought this would be a good place to start. This is how the class first started to become salty. You better grab some popcorn; you can hold the salt cause I’ve got plenty down here.

Word Count: 2094

***

Collège Françoise Dupont had always been a place Marinette had enjoyed going to. Besides fashion, baking and music, she loved hanging out with her friends.

She loved being friends with Alya and helping her with all her Ladyblog stuff as much as she could, talking to her about her dreams and aspirations had been a great past time.

She loved Rose with how honest she was towards her feelings.

She loved Juleka and how she was better at overcoming her shyness.

She loved Alix with her art and amazing roller-skating.

She loved Mylène with how passionate she was about what she believed in.

She loved hanging out with all her female friends, they had tried to help her with so many ridiculous schemes to confess her love to Adrien it was too many to count, but they stood by her side always.

She… Could tolerate Sabrina, and Chloé to an extent, she knew they held a close friendship and didn’t want to disturb it. And Chloé… Was Chloé. They tried not to get in each others way too often.

She loved Nino and his passion for music, his DJ skills were great, she was sure he could become famous in no time.

She loved being able to offer encouragement and support to Nathaniel and Marc, each of their comics looked so cool she couldn’t wait to read it.

She loved being friends with Kim, they had been ever since Kindergarten. His crazy bets were bound to excite her after school each day.

She loved Max and always playing games like Ultimate Mecha Strike III, and totally beating him by the way.

She loved Ivan for how sweet he could be when he tried to show his feelings for Mylène.

And she loved… Loved Adrien.

He was kind. Pushover

Generous. Pitied

Caring. Traitor

Forgiving. Afraid of repercussions

.

.

.

But she ruined it.

She had claimed so many tales that the others lapped up at any mention of fame.

She had strung every last one of her classmates along like sheep and cattle.

She had changed so much in the school, she was excluded to the back in her class, away from everyone else. And when Marinette had tried to expose her?

She had turned it all around.

She had threatened her, enough for an Akuma to be sent her way in the bath stall.

She had bid her time, waiting until people truly believed her, until she enacted on her plan to ‘Dethrone the Princess of the school’

She had first started with little remarks about the bluenette, ones that didn’t seem overly malicious as she couldn’t start out too big right?

She had to make sure they grew in size as an appropriate time passed on. And soon… It had worked.

She had… Turned everyone against her.

***

She remembered when she had come into class that exact morning, because she was late everyone had already taken their seats.

The moment she had entered the classroom all heads turned to her.

“Sorry, Mlle Bustier I had to err- um-” To her surprise, she held a hard glare at the girl. Actually, everyone did.

“That’s enough excuses Marinette, I should send you to the Principal after everything that’s happened” Mlle Bustier announced, shocking the girl.

“What but I-?” She wasn’t able to finish.

“I thought we were friends Marinette, but now you say I could never be an Olympian?”

“Or you thought my voice was painful for anyone within ear reach to listen to!”

“Or I should always be covered in any pictures ever taken because I’m such an eyesore!”

“Or I’ll never be anything in the music industry. How dare you lie to me all these years dude!?” The stray of accusations pointed to the girl were almost enough to make her cry… Almost.

“How could you!? I thought you ‘supported me’, but now I see that you’ve always been a deceitful manipulative liar!” Her former Best Friend held so much anger in her eyes as angry tears stained her cheeks.

“But I- I would never say that! You have to believe me, who told you?” Marinette pleaded. No, Alya was her best friend, there was no way she wouldn’t believe her. Right?

“From someone a lot more trustworthy, Lila told us all of your dirty little secrets. She couldn’t bear to keep the truth from us, even after you threatened her in the bathroom where no one else was there. That’s low Marinette, even for you! Just because you want Adrien all to yourself, Lila doesn’t even like him that way! How could you be such a jerk!” She stared in shock than anger as she looked at the liar.

“Why would you lie about all of this Lila, how could you?” Lila faked her cries as she covered her eyes.

“I had to tell them the truth, I knew you hated me, but I couldn’t stand by any longer and let you lie to everyone, I appreciate every one of my friends. I don’t care if you hate me more”

“If this is because you’re jealous forget it! That’s no excuse for doing this Marinette!” Alix yelled, she winced, even Alix? But she had always been so loyal.

‘Loyalty only goes so far’ She thought sadly.

“That was a brave thing to do Lila. Marinette apologise right now to Lila at once! I thought you were a good example for the class, not turn into a bully!”

“But she’s lying-” She got cut off.

“Not another word or you’ll be going home” Mlle Bustier warned.

“But!”

“Marinette this is your last warning!” She lowered her head and walked to the back as all the students glared at her, except for one.

***

Marinette sneaked off to the lockers. She couldn’t even cry, or she’d be turned into an Akuma, and nobody would want that.

Because she was Ladybug.

Soon you won’t have any friends left at all. Trust me.

You will lose your friends and wind up all alone.

“She was right, she really did turn everyone against me. I really am alone” She exhaled a shaky breath and before Tikki could comfort her the door opened.

“Marinette. There you are. I was wondering where you ran off to?”

‘Adrien, Adrien’s really here. He knows I’m telling the truth; he must be here to help me’ That was the last nice thought she had about him.

“Adrien I-”

“Marinette we talked about this, exposing her isn’t the right thing to do, what if she had become Akumatized in front of the whole class?” He held a disapproving gaze, one that shocked Marinette.

“But she really was lying, if I don’t say anything now, everyone truly will hate me for something I never did.”

“But we both know you’re strong enough already Marinette you’re our ‘Everyday Ladybug’. I know you can hold out from any Akuma until her lies are uncovered”

“Adrien what about my friends, they all think I said all of this stuff even though it's untrue”

“I’m sure if you do more nice things they’ll turn around in the end” She still looked unsure, so Adrien carried on.

“They’ll forgive and you’ll forget, then after everything, we’ll all be friends again. You’re strong enough already, I know a bit of solitude won’t hurt you. At least you aren’t always stuck in your room with no one to talk to. If you just take the high road and don’t rock the boat everything will turn out alright in the end, we’ll all be happy and forgive everyone for their mistakes. We may even forgive Lila. Ok? I’ll stand by you as well”

She wanted to say no, desperately wanted to. That this wasn’t fair on her, that she had only done what was right, that the truth should come out now.

But… This was Adrien, and her last friend.

So… She took his advice.

But he didn’t keep his promise.

***

After that day, she tried to follow his advice. She tried to get all of her friends to like her again. She made macarons and croissants, cakes and pastries for them all to try, she spent some nights staying up all night to perfect her recipes she was sure the class would like, even… Lila.

But Lila had been ‘specifically allergic’ to hers even if Marinette overheard how ‘lemon’ was her favourite.

So, they threw them all away.

She had tried to design and give homemade bags and controller skins to them, but Lila didn’t like the material even if she knew part of her outfit held the exact same material.

So, they threw them all away.

Her final straw had been when she had made so many class trips to Theme Parks, Museums, Gaming Centres, Conventions. As Class President, she had to be the one in charge of trips as the teachers were ‘too busy’ instead. She tried to include everyone's interest and so far it worked. They had absolutely loved the idea of it, claimed it would be the best time of their lives. There were so many praises being thrown around the girl thought.

‘Finally, they’ll see I want us to be friends again. We’ll all go out to meals and movies like before. They’ll apologise and we can be like we were before she came. We can plot and have me and Adrien together-’

“Wow Lila, it was so cool you got us the tickets for the last anime convention. I thought they ran out of them last I checked?” Nathaniel asked while studying the tickets, he had always wanted to go but thought the class wouldn’t want to do something like this but he was surprised, she had told him otherwise, just like she had told him to get rid of Marc, after all in Lila’s words ‘he was limiting your potential’

Marinette remembered him crying in the locker room with no one around, she had been the only one there to comfort and successfully stop an Akumatization from happening.

“Well you see when you know a family friend who actually works in this industry you get so many free passes”

‘What?’

“It's just a pity that Marinette was repulsed by the idea of all of us going. She said it was the stupidest thing she had ever heard and that I was such a loser to ever think of it in the first place. And the fact that she made me do all of the work, how could she be Class President?” The class glared at her, and each insulted her, even if it was her idea.

But when she looked over to see the familiar blond boy.

The sweet, blond who had promised would be there for her…

…Turned to look the other way.

Don’t rock the boat Marinette

I’ll stand by you as well

He lied.

Just like she had done.

Just like… Lila.

It shouldn’t have been surprising; he was a major pushover when it came to friends and his Father. When Chloé and Adrien were friends she could step all over him and he wouldn’t say a word, but had he really done anything for her?

Not really.

Huh, it seemed ironic, the one who hated liars had become a liar.

Marinette had lost her crush on Adrien after that.

She stopped talking to him after that.

He didn’t even talk to her, he was always too ‘busy’.

With all of the class trips happening she had been forgotten.

“Oopsie the times wrong, we go at 9, not 8”

She lied.

“Mlle Bustier? Marinette told me she couldn’t afford this trip and to take her off the form, she didn’t want to do it herself because she wanted to go for free”

She lied!

“How could you Marinette!? You know I have a fear of waterfalls, my Aunt fell down one last year, I had to spend months in the hospital by her side waiting for her to wake up.”

Why couldn’t anyone see she was lying!?

But it didn’t matter.

She didn’t have anyone else.

She had lost all her friends.

She had lost her crush.

She had lost the title of Class President, which was then given to the liar. Even when Chloé was Class President they never had a Re-Election because it would be unfair.

She got her way.

And she had lost everything.

.

.

.

Collège Françoise Dupont had always been a place Marinette had enjoyed going to. Besides fashion, baking and music, she loved hanging out with her friends.

…

Not anymore.

***

I really hope I did this right. And I hope I made up for the salt compared to the last one, I really hope it’s pouring with salt. Anyway, I hope you like this and hopefully the next one you’ll see the introduction of Marinette and Rosina. And just as a fun fact, I used 94 she’s in this, amazing huh. Not including that one by the way.

#marinette dupain cheng #marinette deserves better #ml salt #salt fic #prolouge #class salt #alya salt #adrien salt #lila lying again #miraculous ladybug #let me know your thoughts #have a good day #series soon

[miraculouscataclyyysm]

Au where Miss Bustier actually sets a seating plan for the first day of the school year so all the Chloe Adrian gum drama Doesn't happen (every class and school Iv ever been in has had a seat assignment set before the class starts by the teacher so I was so confused by all the seat drama) Lila starts at Dupont school from the very beginning and Felix lives with Adrian and Gabriel and starts at Dupont school and is in the same class as Adrian and Marinette

The seating assignment:

Marinette and Felix originally bond over there shared annoyance of Chloe & Lila they’ve both had to deal with Chloe and her bs for years (Mari at school and Felix with her and Adrian being childhood bffs she was at the Agreste mansion a lot when he first moved in)

Adrian pining over ladybug is still a thing but Marinette just sees Adrian as Felix's more smiley cousin who she occasionally talks to in class or when she’s at the mansion with Felix

Alya & Lila co-run the lady blog because Lila is “best friends with ladybug” so she knows “all the facts” *cue Marinette groaning into Felix's shoulder over the absolute stupidity*

Insted of outright calling Lila out on her lies she takes more of a back seat to perfect her eye roll felix on the other hand calls bullshit every time she speaks

Queen bee still happens but Marinette is quicker to put an end to Chloe’s bs and take the miraculous back because “how can I trust you to be a hero when half the akumas are caused by you?”

Marinette gives Felix the Fox miraculous, Nino still gets the turtles miraculous (because I love him) Alix gets the bunny (she replaces queen bee as an extra helping hand hero) Luka, max Kim and Kagami all get there miraculous as they do in the show

“did you know ladybug saved my life once? Hawkmoth practically had me at gunpoint and stupid chat noir was useless as always but ladybug swooped in and rescued me, she even asked me to join her team but obviously because of my hearing condition I had to refuse, for the good of Paris, that fashion disaster fox must have been her backup...tragic, he’s almost as bad as chat noir” *Adrien snaps his pen in rage while Felix points out several inconsistency with that story...Mari falls out of her chair with laughter

Felix and Marinette have a secret hand shake (this is purely self serving I just find the idea incredibly cute)

Jealous chat over ladybug and fox Felix (I like the idea of his hero name being ‘renard arctique’ which if google translate can be trusted is Arctic Fox) and referring to him as something seemingly playful but is dripping in bitterness like ‘frosty’

Marinette being best friends with Felix Alix max Kim and Luka because why the hell not! cue a hangout montage of Marinette Felix max and Luka on a picnic blanket, Luka is peacefully playing the guitar while Marinette lays on her back sketching designs, Felix is reading and subtlety sneaking glances at Mari and max is filming Kim and Alix as they race around the park

Felix and Adrian unknowingly fighting over Marinette/ladybug

Marichat being best bros

Bunnix and renard arctique kicking ass together ass the white rabbit and Arctic Fox duo

Hero’s day would play out similar except the hero’s would be ladybug, chat noir, carapace, renard arctique and bunnix

Lila and Chloe getting akumatised into a double-headed bright green monster after Marinette wins a design internship with Gabriel Agreste “ridiculous utterly ridiculous” “obviously this is blatant favouritism, if it wasn’t for Felix she’d never win this is so unfair, how can you let this happen Marinette I thought you were honest” “my father will hear about this Sabrina call my father this instant I’m gonna sue” *creepy hawkmoth smile “I love it when a plan comes together”

This idea has probably been done in some sort of way already but this is just for fun so I’m probably gonna continue, it’s just fun thinking of different scenarios that a few smallish changes can create...

Part 2

#miraculous ladybug #i dont know what to call this #if i do continue it ill think of somthing but this was really just for fun #and becuse i love Arctic foxes and felix would be a great one #ml #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #felix agreste #miraculous tales of ladybug and cat noir #chat noir #ladybug #felinette #seating plan au #ml au #ml au idea #miraculous ladybug au

[fairylynel]

Lapis Re:LiGHTS - Anime Review

I started watching this since the art style is so beautiful and cute. I have always had a weakness for Magical Girls anime, but this one has the Idol aspect mixed with it.

Contains Spoilers

The main character of this show is Tiara Victoria Lex Waleland (voiced by Yukari Anzai who also worked on Happy Sugar Life and Release the Spyce), an extremely long name that, as everyone can guess, means that this girl is actually royalty. She’s one of the princesses of the Waleland kingdom, along with her sister, Eliza (voiced by Kana Anazawa who also worked on Angel Beats! and Deadman Wonderland). Against her older sister wishes, Tiara runs away from her home and joins the Flora Girls' High School, a magical school where students work in groups. It has some similarities to, for example, Hogwarts when it comes the evaluation system. You earn points if you do well in classes and lose them when you do poorly - and of course, after you lose too many, you are expelled. It’s mandatory in this high school that the students work in groups and earn the points together, going up (or down) in the ranking system.

This show has, like all idol anime, several girl groups that the viewer can adore (seven groups to be precise). So, of course, Tiara joins a group where her childhood friend, Rosetta (voiced by Risa Kubota who has also worked on Konohana Kitan and Ongeki), an extremely clumsy and fiery tiny girl called Lavie (voiced by Live Mukai who has also worked on Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu), a more stern girl called Ashley (voiced by Iori Saeki who has also worked on Nekopara and Uma Musume: Pretty Derby) and the bookworm Lynette (voiced by Mizuki Yamamoto).

All these girls have pretty standart and stereotypical personalities, but they are all extremely loveable, I absolutely enjoyed seeing Lavie and Ashley argue with each other, while Tiara and Rosetta bonded over their family backgrouds and memories, plus Lynette (even though she didn’t have a counterpart, per say) had enough interactions with everyone, while being important to the plot at the same time. I was afraid her character would be forgotten, but she was extremely charming since the beginning. Moreover, it was super refreshing to see the girls interact with the other groups and forming friendships with each other; it was genuinely refreshing to see, for example, Lynette become close to Ratura (voiced by Yukimi Hayase) and bond over their love for the group Ray.

Each group eventually becomes an Orchestra, a group that sings for the town’s people so a big quantity of mana can be stored in one of the biggest buildings of the school. It doesn’t hurt the people who are listening, despite my concerns in the first episodes, it is just a way to enjoy music.

Moving on to the groups then:

There are 7 in total:

LiGHTS - Tiara, Rosetta, Lavie, Ashley and Lynette. They become an Orchestra since they were in risk of being expelled due to having very little points among them. Their songs in the show have been 私たちのSTARTRAIL (in this particular song, all of the groups are present, but it’s mostly sung by LiGHTS) and Planetarium. It’s the pop style kind of group, their songs tend to appeal to everyone. These songs are, respectively, the Opening song for the anime and the Ending.

IV KLORE (and my favourite group so far) - Emilia, the daughter of a succubus, having the ability to drain the people who touch her of their energy (voiced by Hazuki Hoshino), Alpha, a magic doll that serves Emilia (voiced by Tomomi Mineuchi who has also worked on Slow Start and The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. 2), Salsa, a werewolf (voiced by Yuu Sasahara who has also worked on Ochikobore Fruit Tart and Tonari no Kyuuketsuki-san) and Garnet, a ghost (voiced by Youko Nakayama). This group shows up quite early in the show, having an episode dedicated to Garnet as she joins IV KLORE later on. This group has no human members, all of them either being half-human or fully mystical creatures. They’re music is really enjoyable, having a bit of a darker tone when compared to everyone else. In the show, they sing two songs - Midnight Sapphire and Forbidden Fairytale. 

KonoHana wa Otome - Kaede, the younger sister (voiced by Yuuko Oono who has also worked on Konohana Kitan and Ongaku Shoujo), Nadeshiko, the middle sister (voiced by Rina Honizumi who has also worked on Hug tto! Precure and Plunderer) and Tsubaki, the oldest (voiced by Arisa Suzuki who has also worked on New Game!! and Butlers: Chitose Momotose Monogatari). In the anime, they sing two songs -  Karakure＊Night Fever and Inochi Mijikashi, Ryouran Otome. This group mixes traditional japanese music with the rock concept, making this group my second favourite. Their songs are absolutely delicious. In the episode that is dedicated to this group, we see Kaede and Nadeshiko fighting over their musical concept, the middle sister wanting to mix rock music with the traditional. The viewer can see Nadeshiko struggling to keep the relationship with Kaede, while the youngest struggles with the fear of failure of not being able to perform both concepts well enough. It was a really cute episode and it was really fun to see the three of them, even though Tsubaki doesn’t seem to interact much with the other Orchestras, with the other girls and seeing them establish friendships with them.

Sugar Pockets - Ratura (voiced by Yukimi Hayase), Champe (voiced by Seika Hirose) and Maryberry (voiced by Hikaru Akao who has also worked on Assault Lily: Bouquet and Runway de Waratte). This is, in my opinion, the weakes group in terms of their songs. They do this cutesy, soft performances and when compared to the other groups, they lack individuality. Other than that, the characters are pretty loveable as well. Ratura is seen quite often as she and Lynette become close friends as the show goes on and Maryberry becomes less and less shy and more eager to perform with her friends. Champe is probably the most forgetful of them all, but still a very cute character. They perform two songs in the show - Wagama Caramelize and Chat Noir.

Sadistic★Candy - Angelica (voiced by Yuuka Amemiya) and Lucifer (voiced by Risae Matsuda who has also worked on Keijo!!!!!!!! and Love Live! Sunshine!! ).This group is the one that makes Sugar Pockets look boring, in my opinion. This Orchestra also has a happy, sweet kind of concept, but their chaotic personality and energy makes them stand out quite a lot. They performed two songs as well - Positive★Paradise and Are Many Chance!!! . Not only that, but when it comes to the plot, Angelica was also part of the popular group Ray, however her personality at that time now embarasses her and she is a more serious person, despite her childish self still coming out when arguing with Lucifer. 

supernova - Yue (voiced by Yuu Sakuragi who has also worked on), Millefeuille (voiced by Saeko Oku) and Fiona (voiced by Haruka Itou who has also worked on Omoi no Kakera).This is one of the most popular groups when Tiara joins the school. The members are all students in high ranks and they are used in several episodes to show how the hierarchy in this high school works. Their personalities and friendships aren’t shown as much as everyone else, what the viewer will learn the most about them is Yue’s hatred for Tiara and that Millefeuille works a bit like an older sister for both of them, often keeping Fiona in place. Their songs, despite being good, aren’t my favourites from all of them. They go for a more mature concept with their outfits and sounds, but it feels a bit “noisy” in the chorus. They perform two songs -  Ao no Shoudou and RISE.

Ray - Eliza, Chloe (voiced by Yoshino Nanjou who has also worked on Akuma no Riddle and Love Live! School Idol Project), Angers (voiced by Yuuka Amemiya) , Camilla (voiced by Sumire Uesaka who has also worked on Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! and Musaigen no Phantom World) and Yuzuriha (voiced by Ayane Sakura who has also worked on BanG Dream! and My Hero Academia). I really don’t have much of an opinion about this group as they aren’t really active anymore. I do enjoy their backstories quite a lot and I honestly hope that, if there is a second season, that these girls can get a little bit more screen time. Eliza, Tiara’s older sister, is now uncapable of singing, if she does, she might lose her voice. She was the one who asked Chloe, the now chair of the board at school despite her yound age, to put Tiara in a group that would be easily expelled. Angers became Angelica and changed her personality completely, going from a cute, soft and a bit ridiculous girl to a more serious one. Camilla was known as the Ray’s Immaculate Prince, but barely anything is shown about her besides the fact that she was a vampire that was extremely popular amongst her classmates. And then there is my favourite, Yuzuriha, a lesbian who loves to flirt with girls and spends her time in the school’s cabaret - which, by the way, the viewer can see that Champe works there as well (maybe Champe is a wlw as well?). Yuzuriha is the funniest of the group and I definitely enjoyed some representation even if a bit weird. The only issue I see with her in the anime is that her sexuality is used as a personality trait, but even so, so little is shown from the group itself that I didn’t really mind it. She was called the Graceful Dancing Princess as she was a great dancer.

The plot starts with LiGHTs struggling with the little points they have and trying to find ways to not be expelled, the viewer can see them in class and joining a group with all the other Orchestras (except Sadistic★Candy) to fight some supernatural monster that was lurking around in a forest close to the high school (it was actually Garnet, completely unaware that she was dead and didn’t know others saw her as a ghost). While they try their best to not have to leave the school, eventually they just aren’t able to have enough points and are forced to leave. From this moment forward, it’s revealed that several monsters are coming towards the high school and that all the Orchestras need to work together, so they can gather mana enough fromt he audience and protect the town. As this is going on, Ray’s backstory is revealed and LiGHTs still managed to save the day in the end.

I really enjoyed the show and the episode where Garnet joins IV KLORE was my favourite by far. The writers did a good job when it comes to allow the viewer to know the characters well, without feeling overwhelmed with so many of them. Truth be told, Champe, Camilla and even Lucifer don’t really have much screen time, but the writers still managed to make them interesting enough to not be completely forgotten. Other than that, I liked most of the songs and even those that weren’t my type were still fun to watch the Orchestras perform.

Rating: 7/10

#chisaijosei speaks #anime review #review #Lapis Re:LiGHTS - Anime Review #Lapis Re:LiGHTs #lapis relights #anime

[secretagentspydetectiveninja]

Rewatching Syren

The little mermaid is my favourite ondertale episode

What kind of dystopia do these poor Parisians live in where stuff like this is happening even when there aren’t akuma attacks going on??? ignore Pocahontas in the corner okay that’s just the Disney Channel thing, the sequel sucks anyway

Uh just a warning. So, I know in these rewatching ml posts I always harp on about Kimax this, Kimax that, Kimax Kimax Kimax. But the truth is that after 2 seconds of seeing Ondine onscreen I already wanted her to marry Kim so be prepared for me screeching over Kimdine a lot in this thing okay, I am TRASH and I’m not even sorry about it

How much do you wanna bet Kim has broken every single one of these rules multiple times

HE PINNED HIS TOWEL TO HIS SHOULDERS LIKE A CAPE, HE’S SUCH A DORK I LOVE HIM???

I love Ondine so much too, she’s basically buff freckly Ariel and she’s so cute oh my god freckles for days

Okay so the sign’s in a bunch of different languages and I’m 99% sure Kim has ignored it many, many times

He didn’t put his goggles on when he went underwater, and actually neither of their swimming caps cover all their hair ugh they’re both disasters, I love them

She’s BLUSHING and everything how does Kim not notice this??? He’s all like “oh that boy you like must be so dumb lol” well yeah Kim, yeah HE IS

Can I gush for a second about Ondine’s design?? They actually made her look like a swimmer, like with big shoulders and arms everything, and she’s fairly tall, and she’s got freckles everywhere (at least 40 on her face alone, I counted) and thick eyebrows and it all just makes her super GORGEOUS like yes can we get more character designs like these please?? (And KIM OH MY GOD LOOK AT YOU you’ve got it bad and you don’t even realize skdjfhksjdhkj)

Oh btw Ondine’s bracelet is 023 and Kim’s is 024, in case you wanted some useless information

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we, as a fandom, are sleeping on the fact that Kim can stick his toe in his ear and that Ondine thinks it’s cute and this is actually a canon thing that is canon

He even passes her the notebook with his feet?? Sometimes I wonder what she sees in him but then I remember I want to adopt him so like, there must be something

Reason #3274598347 why Kimdine are a great couple: they really must trust each other a hell of a lot considering they literally have a game where they spill their secrets to each other, like, they’re already close friends and know so much about each other and oh okay I may be using this rewatching post to just gush about my fav underrated canon otp oops

He still likes Chloé at this point? Really?? Really??? (And he’s just gonna casually leave the pool before knowing for sure that the animal attack is over? I guess he just expects to be able to outrun those panthers huh)

SHE EVEN DREW HEARTS ON IT AND EVERYTHING, THAT’S SO ADORABLE??? KIM PLEASE NOTICE HER OKAY I WILL PERFORM THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY MYSELF

In the English dub at this point he literally calls her a “little mermaid”, huh maybe that Pocahontas icon in the corner isn’t totally irrelevant after all (also he implies this is nowhere near the first time Ondine has tried to confess her feelings, so basically Kim can join Adrien in the “she’s just a friend” club)

RENA’S BAAAAAAACK AHHH I AM SO HAPPY TO SEE HER AGAIN, ALYA GETS TO BE A HERO AGAIN AND I’M SO PROUD

That eyeliner

Grumpy Chat gives me life okay, it’s so funny to me for some reason

Uh... it’s not just me who thinks Rena looks really, really pale, is it?

Alya just straight-up flirts with Ladybug, she’s not even being subtle

WHEN ONDINE CRIES I CRY

The lifeguard doesn’t even wait a second when Syren turns up, he just starts running, what a mood

MARKOV IS BACK!!! MY LIL ROBOT BABY!!! And Max too, I’m always glad to see him

I genuinely want to watch Mecha Monkey vs Cyber Shark 3 though

Kim’s hair really Did That

Question: did Markov need a ticket?

Look at Kim in the background being sad that Chloé didn’t show up omg

Tfw the guy you like is so oblivious that you cry enough to flood an actual city

WHY ARE ALL KWAMIS ALWAYS SO ADORABLE *flips table*

I’m actually really proud of Marinette, she’s been put into such a tough situation where she wants to tell Chat Noir the truth but isn’t allowed, and she’s trying to do something to change that because she trusts him and understands his frustration

Mmmmm cronchy

This lil elephant decor got me thinking, how cool would an elephant miraculous be?

This poor boy is just sitting alone being emo when he’s attacked by the floods

HNSDFJSHDNFJSHDF I’M NOT OVER THIS

I’m not Plagg or anything but that stuff genuinely sounds really good okay

My little brother’s reaction to Plagg hyperventilating into a sock was “big mood” and honestly? Tea

CLASSMATES!!! Nino getting a slight amount of screentime!! Good stuff

What’s Max up to? “Psst Markov, do you think Kim will ever love me?” He looks sad okay I wanna give him a hug

Ah yes, my favourite companies, “Cinema Productions” and “Film Studio”

Alya clinging onto Nino!!!

An interesting thing is that while Syren is one of the nicest (if not THE nicest) akuma villains, I’m pretty sure she has the highest death toll by far. Tidal waves and mass flash-flooding in a major city?? Thousands and thousands of people have gotta be dead and you know it, like imagine if she’d accidentally killed Kim too, that would have been awkward

Marinette and Alya being heroes and making sure everyone got out okay omg, they’re heroes even without the mask

There really are not many survivors up on these rooftops, are there...

Kim is just on another level of Iconic entirely??? Paris is flooded with his future bae’s tears and he puts on a swimming cap and goggles (which he doesn’t use) and immediately leaps into the water, and then tells Markov (who is a tiny robot and allergic to water) to learn to swim like a frog, what even goes through his brain

THEIR FACES AKJFHKSDJHFSKJDHKG

*dun dun dun dun dun dun DUN DUN DUN DUN*

“KIIIIIIIIIIIIIM!!!!” Here is the mandatory Kimax part of the rewatching post -- Max is so worried for Kim??? He’s the first one to react and the only one to like, properly react??? Ugh my multishipper heart

The fact that Alix went to look means either she does at least slightly care about Kim, or she’s just super hyped to watch him drown, and I’m not sure which is funnier tbh she’s so fake though unlike Alya she just stands there not even trying to look

Me trying to row anything, ever

Alix has one single line in the entire episode and as usual, it’s the BEST line

*physically restrains myself from making a Shape of Water reference because it’s been done so many times by now*

My small brother laughs a lot at this scene because he says it reminds him of the time Chat Noir put a bowl on Prince Ali’s head and now I can’t unsee it

This hurts me in my soul okay, she wants to tell him but she caaaaaan’t

Huh, Fu managed to get a lot of stuff up on the roof with him, how’d he have time for that?

Lemme just cover my nonexistent ears for a sec

The best thing about this scene is that all the jokes Marinette tells aren’t even funny, I’m honestly cackling with laughter

AQUATIKKI. AQUATIC. I ONLY JUST GOT THAT OMG

Also?? These new costumes??? I love them holy moly

Fu has cobra venom... bro... listen I researched that stuff for a certain fic and uh you don’t want that stuff lying around, trust me, it is NOT A PLEASANT WAY TO GO

I know my first reaction to this should not be laughter, but it’s just so funny seeing Adrien being bratty for once okay this is g r e a t, ah yes Paris being FLOODED and UNDER ATTACK is a very good time to take off your ring

Heartfelt Plagg!!! I love him

So uh... if Kim is Syren’s prince... does that make him... Prince Kim... AHEM ANYWAYS that throne she made for him is so cute and I can’t believe he doesn’t even care that he got kidnapped by an akuma villain ‘cause hey, it’s a hot shredded mermaid therefore Kim’s a scalie and it’s CANON

So he’s all like “I’ve never seen a siren at the pool before??” which means that 1. He doesn’t realize she’s an akuma villain, he just genuinely thinks she’s a siren who actually lives in Paris, and 2. he knows what a siren is and doesn’t put 2+2 together that this particular siren has chosen him as prey and is luring him into staying underwater with her forever

I legit think about this scene every single day. The writers were probably like “okay so we need a mermaid episode, which kid in the class would be most likely to be seduced by a m-- KIM. IT WOULD BE KIM.” He’s just realized this freckly fish is Ondine and that she’s in love with him and just... hhhh I have a lot of feels it’s like 1am okay

He wants to be a merman so that he can swim fast, that’s so Kim of him I’m in tears omg, Syren doesn’t even care she’s just being a creepy fish with 100 freckles on her face (I counted) tempting him into staying with her at whatever cost

Asjdhskdjhfksjd he KNOWS she’s an akuma villain and still wants to kiss her?? Well to be fair Ondine’s evil yandere mersona is very pretty and Kim never really uses his brain for thinking, so... yeah

“Okay so I want to kiss u but I also wanna watch this movie DO U SEE MY DILEMMA” I love his reasoning so much

My exact reaction on seeing Ladybug’s new outfit

Look how happy she is to see Chatfish in his new costume!! Bless them both tbh, I’m a lil sad we didn’t get to see Aqua-Plagg though, how amazing would that have been

Kim geeking out over their costumes is not only such a mood but also it’s adorable and oh shoot I ship him with Ladybug too, I have too many Kim ships I swear

HE LOOKS SO SAD WHEN HE’S TALKING ABOUT HOW ONDINE GOT AKUMATIZED?? I’m like 99% sure at this point he’s realized he likes her too and probably feels so bad about unknowingly causing her to be upset enough to get akumatized omg my HEART okay I should stop endlessly gushing over Kimdine now shouldn’t I

“You wanna know my secret???” Okay wait, was he... was he about to stick his toe in his ear in front of Ladybug

Oooh do French numberplates actually do this thing? like, have numbers on top of each other like that? That’s pretty interesting

I work at a doctor’s surgery and I can tell you now, even Master Fu’s handwriting is more legible than half the stuff I have to decipher written by those darn doctors

ERBAL EDARIUM

I wonder what would happen if Tom actually ate one of those

You gotta love how unsubtle that Frozer foreshadowing is

For the first time in the episode, she’s actually wearing her goggles!

The fact that he asks her out?? Using their secrets game?? Is just so sweet?? They just care about each other so much look at them?? Ugh just get married already you freaking scalie disaster jocks

I know Nathalie’s sorting out a schedule but it kiiiinda looks like she’s playing Tetris lol

UHHH HEY MASTER FU?? QUICK QUESTION, WHAT DID YOU DO TO ADRIEN’S CHINESE TUTOR?? HE’S NOT... SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES... IS HE?

YEAH ME TOO ADRIKINS, I’M HELLA SUSPISH

On the one hand Gabe yelling at Nooroo makes me want to punch him, but on the other hand he’s literally asking outright how to become a mermaid

THERE’S AQUA-PLAGG!! YES!!! I know this end card was more cringey originally and they changed it, but it’s still cringey ngl

(And idk where else to put this but fun fact: there’s a Septimus Heap book called Syren and it’s rly good, it doesn’t have any fishybugs and chatfish in it but it’s good)

#kimdine is a WONDERFUL ship you guys are just cowards #miraculous ladybug #random stuff #rewatching ml #next up: frightningale

[nani-lahiffe]

Fighting Over a Lady’s Love: Chapter 2

Summary: Nino has a productive weekend, gets shocked by the news, gets shocked by Alya, and has the worst Monday ever.

Read Chapter 1 here or read it all on ao3 here

When Nino woke up this morning he felt energized and ready to face the day. It is the beginning of the weekend which means he has a whole two days to do the things he was yelled at for not doing the day before. He quickly turned off his phone so he wouldn’t be tempted to look at it. He also has already told everyone on Friday that he was going technology free during the weekend just so he could get caught up with everything that he has been slacking. Alya called him smart for thinking of that and wished that she could do the same, but the Ladyblog is too demanding. Not only did this tactic work, but by Sunday evening he managed to get ahead of his homework schedule by two weeks.

“You have made some great progress these past couple of days. I am quite proud.” Wayzz says flying over to Nino cuddling up to his cheek.

“Thanks, little dude, I couldn’t have done it without you.” Nino smiles at him and strokes his shell. If it wasn’t for Wayzz always motivating him and helping him figure out the material he couldn’t understand, Nino wouldn’t be as successful as he is now. He even helped clean Nino’s room which was definitely not an easy task. Maybe I should make him his own playlist to thank him, and so he can chill during the day while I’m in class.

“You deserve a break, Master Nino.”

“You know how much I hate it when you call me that.”

Wayzz laughs and with a smirk he says, “I know.”

Nino chuckles and jumps onto his bed. For the first time in two days he turns on his phone and was pleased to see that his friends and girlfriend kept their promise of not messaging him. He sent a quick message to the group chat between him, Alya, Adrien, and Marinette to say that he was still alive, and immediately went to social media to see what he has missed. Though what he was seeing was definitely not what he was expecting.

Love Between Paris’ Superheroes?  

On Friday night a few spectators were enjoying the nice weather when they saw Ladybug cuddling up with another one of Paris’ favourite superheroes, though not the one we were all expecting. It seems as if Ladybug might be more of a turtle fan rather than a cat one. Yes, you read correctly, Ladybug and one of the newer heroes, Carapace, were seen holding each other very closely and intimately up on a rooftop.

One onlooker, Ruben Musquet, took the pictures that are shown below and had this to say, “We were trying to enjoy a nice night so we all went up on the roof of our apartment building, which is when we noticed Ladybug and Carapace. We just thought that they were running around like they usually do around Paris until they started hugging and stayed like that for about 10 minutes. Even when that was over they were still physically close to each other. That is when we really started thinking that something was going on between them. Our suspicions were confirmed when they kissed.”

Nino was used to gossip and rumours about him being spread around but that last sentence made him do a double take. When the hell did we kiss? He scrolls through the article to get to the pictures and sees grainy pictures of him and Ladybug. One of them hugging, one of him rubbing her arms when he was comforting her, and another of when he kissed his cheek. Though of course from the angle that the picture was taken from it looked like an actual mouth to mouth kiss.

Nino immediately starts panicking. He leaves that article and sees what the rest of the world is thinking about this.

Move over Ladynoir, Carabug is the newest ship in town.

Is Chat Noir jealous of the newest competitor to Ladybug’s heart?

Top 10 reasons why Carabug is better than Ladynoir.

Top 15 reasons why Ladybug should be with Chat Noir instead of Carapace.

Is there tension between Team Miraculous?

Every documented interaction between Ladybug and Carapace that will make you realize that this ship has been sailing for a long time.  

Nino has the feeling that he should avoid being Carapace for a while, especially around his teammates. Though he is still scheduled for a Monday night patrol which he is now currently dreading. Friday’s squabble of who loves Ladybug more is going to be minor compared to the yelling he is going to receive since his team must think that he and Ladybug are together. And poor Ladybug is already so stressed from everything, and this is definitely not going to help with that.

Nino’s mind goes to Alya, his actual girlfriend, and starts thinking how crushed she might be when she finds out Ladynoir is ruined, and hopefully that opinion will be quickly changed. He heads over to the Ladyblog to see what Alya has written to find that there haven’t been new posts since Friday. It is very unlike Alya to just ignore the Ladyblog. Even when there is no important news she always plugs in fan work and theories to keep things alive.

He tosses his phone away and sighs. He has patrol tomorrow night so for now he should just sit back and try not to think about how all of Paris thinks that him and Ladybug have a thing going on.

As evening turns into night, Nino realizes no one has messaged him back yet. He lies down in bed and wishes that Paris calms down by tomorrow.

Surprisingly, Nino is the first one of his friends to get to school. Thankfully he didn’t wait long until Adrien’s car pulled up to the school.

Adrien starts getting out of the car and Nino yell, “Hey, dude!” He rushes over to see his friend and quickly stops once he takes a full look at his friend’s face.

“Hey, Nino” Adrien says in a weak voice. The boy was the definition of a hot mess. Disheveled hair, dark bags under his eyes that clearly shows the lack of sleep he has gotten, and eyes that look like he spent his weekend crying.

“Are you alright? What happened to you? Is it your dad again, because if it is I will literally fight him for you.” Nino wraps an arm around Adrien to try and comfort him as they walk towards the school.

Adrien cracks a small smile at that. “No, it’s not about my father, but thanks. It’s just this girl… I guess I thought we were closer than we actually are, and one-sided feelings kind of suck.”

Nino always had a feeling that there was someone in Adrien’s life, especially since he seemed to never consider anyone at school as a romantic choice. Also knowing how big of a romantic he is, it was weird that he hasn’t gone on millions of over-the-top dates. “Come on, dude, you’re a model! How can she not like you?”

Adrien gives him a sad smile and says, “I guess looks aren’t everything.”

Nino cringes at his bad choice in words, and he turns Adrien to face him. “I know plenty of girls here that actually like you, and I know that you will get along with them. Don’t even think about rolling your eyes at me. Trust me when I say they actually like you and not model you. You being hot is just an extra perk.”

He lightly chuckles at that and looks Nino in the eye. “Thank you.”

From all the advice he is giving out recently, he should change his career path from DJ to therapist.

One second, he is walking towards the school with Adrien, and the next he is being dragged away by Alya into a secluded part of the yard. When Nino realized where they were heading he was pretty excited to spend some quality time with his girlfriend, and then he looks at her and realizes that she, like Adrien, has also been crying.

Alya turns to face him and shoves her phone into his face. On it was the picture of his and Ladybug’s kiss. “Tell me what the hell is this?” Her voice was as fiery as her hair.

Nino just looks at her confused. “Uh, looks like Ladybug and Carapace hanging out?”

“Don’t do that to me, Nino, cut the bullshit. I know you are Carapace, so please, tell me what the hell this is.” Alya’s voice is strained, and she is trying to control her temper.

At this moment Nino felt his heart drop, because of course she knows and is misreading this situation. “Alya, I-.”

“You think you can become a superhero and cheat on me? Did you really think that I wouldn’t find out? This whole time you have acted like you were uninterested in Ladybug, but in reality, you two were together! Even around the team you acted like you didn’t care about our argument on who she cared about more, because obviously you already knew that answer!”

At first her words weren’t making any sense, and slowly he pieces together her whole statement and realizes a secret that should have been obvious to him. “You’re Rena Rouge.” He whispers.

Of course, Alya would be involved in the team’s fight. She has loved and looked up to Ladybug since she first arrived, has a blog dedicated to her, has risked her life to help Ladybug, and the first person Ladybug has trusted with a miraculous. No wonder he hasn’t seen her throwing herself at akumas lately, she was there as Rena the whole time.

“Yeah, I am. Surprised?” She says bitterly.

“You have it all wrong. Ladybug and I are not dating. She was having a rough time yesterday after the little fight that broke out. Hell, she was crying in every picture that those civilians managed to take! As a good friend, I was trying to comfort her!”

“Then explain the kiss!”

“It was on the cheek and she was thanking me! It meant nothing to the both of us!”

Alya looks away from him. “Just… don’t talk to me for the rest of the day.” She runs off towards the school.

“Merde.” Nino whispers to himself.

He walks back to school alone and enters the building. Across the hall Marinette gives him a strange and undecipherable look that he feels like he should know what she is communicating to him, but his brain is fried from the morning that he has already had. She is probably wondering what is going on with Alya, and I definitely can’t let anyone in on that secret.  

The rest of the day continues awkwardly, and it does not make it any better that everywhere he goes he is hearing about the Ladybug and Carapace situation. It makes him more bitter, Adrien weirdly gets sadder, Alya burns with rage, and Marinette looks uneasy. Alya he could understand why she acted the way she did, but the other two are an anomaly. He assumes Adrien just gets sadder about his own love life every time someone else’s relationship is brought up. Then with Marinette, well she has always been a firm believer of ensuring the heroes have privacy in their lives, which Nino currently wishes more people were like. She must be annoyed that their privacy has been broken.

By the time the end of the day arrived, Nino couldn’t be happier. He was tense and on edge the whole day, and now he is speed-walking away from the school and everyone in it. Sure, he wishes to talk to Alya to maybe make up and make out, but one look at her face says that he probably should not approach her yet. Maybe Alya will be calm once I’m done patrol, so I can visit her, if Queen Bee doesn’t murder me first.

#miraculous ladybug #ml #nino lahiffe #alya cesaire #adrien agreste #marinette dupain-cheng #djwifi #carapace #ladybug #chat noir #rena rouge #queen bee #chloe bourgeois #my writing

[kwa-mii]

Le Chat Noir

SInce exams are over it’s time for me to write again! yaaay!! I missed this!!!

Since it’s Marichat May I decided to Get In On The Action and so here’s a fic for day 19 - identity reveal - which I’ve been planning for ages and it was pretty fun to write tbh

The title is a lazy reference to Le Chat Noir in Montmarte, which was one of the first cabarets. Titles are not my strong point, but eyyyyyyyy it’s doubly relevant

Also feel free to pop to my ao3

Le Chat Noir - a reveal fic with a bit of humour amidst the fluff (1959 words)

Chat was a self-proclaimed charmer. Self-proclaimed, because he considered his pun-based flirting to be the epitome of seduction and would often brag about his 'way with women'. Charmer, because it was somewhat true.

Marinette, weird as it was to admit it to herself, had been slowly falling under his spell. Yes, she'd always liked her teammate - he was reliable, good company, kind to her - but she'd never allowed herself to transgress that boundary. It would make their partnership weird after all, and Ladybug wasn't ready to make mistakes because of some silly crush. But as Marinette that had changed slightly.

When he was around her civilian self, Chat lowered some of his walls. Lolling on her bed and enthusing about his favourite anime, playing videogames, salivating over freshly-baked pastries, he seemed less untouchable hero, and more human - and an undeniably cute one at that. Without an akuma to distract her, she could really admire his tousled golden hair, his bright green eyes, the gorgeously toned body beneath the suit. (Stop it Marinette! Don't think about that! That was a violation of their sacred comradeship! He was Chat, and she was Ladybug and)

Chat really wasn't making it easier on her. His effusive, natural flirtatiousness, concentrated like that on her, was an indomitable force. Every time he sprung onto her balcony with some freshly plucked roses, or bought another small plushie to fill her bed, or, damnit, hit her with that confident, toothy smile, she could feel that partnership-relationship boundary becoming less clear. And sometimes, when they cuddled in bed and watched movies together, she couldn't help but wonder how it would feel to kiss him, to entwine their bodies more deeply. His heat was enticing and his arms were strong - but Marinette was strong too, and unerringly loyal to the thought of Adrien.

So, in the end, it didn't matter. She could not afford to fall in love with Chat. She could not afford to admit that parts of her, great and persuasive parts, wanted to.

Even so, as Chat sprung into her room that evening, she couldn't stop her heart's flutter. Light in step, and light in voice, he bounced over to her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Though many people in France did this in greeting, Chat made it feel more... charming, she supposed, amorous. Then, pulling away, he beamed at her, "Did you miss me?"

She gestured towards her homework, "Oh, desperately. Has my knight come to rescue me?"

Marinette was not naturally flirty, at all, but there was something about Chat (there were a lot of things about Chat, it seemed) that was different. She felt a bit nauseous every single time she batted her eyelids, but it was definitely fun.

He leaned over her to look - his smell so cosy, like home - and smiled, "Oh, it's science. I could help you with that."

"That's not the kind of rescuing I was thinking about."

"I can't condone slacking, Marinette."

"Bummer," she muttered, turning back to her work, her pencil tapping aimlessly against the edge of the desk.

"However," he purred, spinning her chair back to face him, "It's bad manners to ignore a guest."

"Are they a guest if they climb in through your windows? I'd call that an 'intruder'."

"Semantics."

There was a pause here. With Chat leaning over her, his hands placed either side of the chair's back, Marinette felt herself beginning to blush. She wrested herself away, getting up abruptly, and turning on the radio, "Well, you have a point. You can help me later, I guess, if you still want to. I need a break."

He grinned, "Alright! What's the plan?"

"Uh, I assumed you had one, considering you were so eager..."

"It's all a front, princess. I just wanted to get you away from that desk; you looked half-dead."

Princess again. She'd heard it a few times now, but the pet name still got to her, in its delightful intimacy. It made her warm and fuzzy, knowing he thought of her like that - or, at least, pretending to. She wasn't sure how she felt about his just saying it for the sake of it... somehow, it was important to her that he meant it, at least partly.

Wishing to shut out these traitorous thoughts, she turned the knob on the radio louder. Chat's eyes widened, "Oh, I love this song!"

Marinette's eyes widened too. Somehow, despite their shared evenings together, she had never pictured him liking music like this - sweet, cutesy, romantic. She loved it too, but, "I would've thought your taste would've been way different. Stromae, or something."

"Oh, I like him too, I listen to pretty much everything. But I have a special place in my heart for romance."

She wished he wouldn't look at her like that when saying such things. Especially when he was starting to move in time to the music, swaying and tapping his feet. Chat was beginning to transcend cute and had become irresistibly so, mouthing the words to the love song at her with an earnest expression: ‘I always liked to seduce but it's OK if you're the only one who likes me.’

She could laugh. She could swoon. She could kiss him!

At least, until he started actually singing. Maybe it didn't help that the singer was at a range well above his own, but it was clear that Chat had not been made to sing. Instead, he yowled, like the cliché of a cat, every note landing far from its mark. His voice strained at the edges. He was a mess. She could laugh, and so she did, unable to keep the giggles in at his genuine attempt to serenade her.

It seemed even Chat had flaws. Just like that, it had become a little easier not to fall in love with him. As long as he kept serenading her, she was safe; they could be Just Friends.

In the end, Marinette did not finish her science homework. She had spent the evening messing around with Chat, singing karaoke, and dancing goofily until they were flush and breathless, in a heap across Marinette's bed. Her mum had come in to ask about the noise, but she had managed to hide him beneath a blanket just in time - she wasn't ready to answer those questions just yet.

Luckily, the homework became unimportant, overshadowed by the news that their year would be putting on a musical. Every year put on a show around this time, but the fact that it was going to be a musical was especially exciting.

Nathaniel wished to do nothing more than make the sets - "I couldn't... I'd rather not be on stage" - and Marinette, though she wasn't a terrible singer, would rather be in charge of the costumes. However, there were certainly many others who wanted to act.

Alya was enthusiastic, "I wonder what it'll be! I love West Side Story, or maybe it's Phantom? Les Mis, perhaps. There are so many good musicals out there - ooh, what about Wicked? No, no, Grease is a classic."

Nino was interested, "I don't know how good I am at singing, but I'd like to do something, y'know. Music is my jam, so this should be cool. I'm pumped."

Chloe was confident, "Oh, I'll have to get the leading part. Daddy says I sing like an angel, and besides, I was born to be centre stage. None of you losers had better audition for the main part. It'll be me and Adrien up there together, right, Adri-kins?"

Adrien did not look particularly taken with the idea. However, there was no two ways about it - his looks and his natural stage presence meant he was the ideal lead. He had proven his talent in their class film, and there was no other boy quite as handsome or as charming as him. As romantic interests go, he was the perfect match. Besides, "I'm not a bad singer," he shrugged.

Alya nudged her neighbour, "Yes, but Adrien's probably just being humble. When he says 'not bad', he probably means 'amazing'. I wouldn't put it past him. Kid is perfect."

Marinette nodded, leaning forwards in her seat as Adrien stepped up to sing for them. She could imagine he was singing just for her, if she just pretended there was no one else in the room. Adrien, with his eyes like emeralds, and his hair like spun sunbeams, and his voice like -

Like nails scraping on a chalkboard? Like the clatter of old machinery? Like a primordial screech?

She winced. She noticed everyone in the class, from the corner of her eye, had been similarly affected. Faces paling, mouths dropping, Chloe on the verge of tears. No one had expected this. That perfect, beautiful Adrien, with his perfect, beautiful soul, should have such an ugly voice when he sang. A voice like -

A voice like Chat?

Her small wince turned into a minor coughing fit as she spluttered on the thought. That was ridiculous. Chat couldn't be Adrien. Chat was dangerous, Adrien was gentle... but had Chat not shown his gentleness to Marinette? Ok, ok, so they shared a characteristic or two. And ok, so they were both blonde, green eyes, beautiful body - as his partner, Marinette knew Chat's body well, as his covetous fan, she had studied Adrien's, and admittedly they bore remarkable similarities - but those were superficial traits. And, like, fine, they both had an abysmal singing voice, like a crying cat, but what did that mean? Nothing.

Except face it, Marinette. The chances of two people in Paris singing that badly was infinitissimally small. That was a god-given voice, a rarity. Forced with this truth, reminded of others, she had to accept the possibility that Adrien was the boy under the suit.

She relaxed now. Watched him. Despite the assault on her eardrums, it was actually quite cute. He didn't seem to realise, sang with abandon, with his whole body flung into song. He always had been eager.

Perhaps now she could afford to fall in love. With the both of them, with each part of the wonderful whole. She didn't need to forsake Adrien for Chat, she didn't need to hold Adrien on a distant pedestal when she knew and loved him in different skin. But, there was still the chance... she needed to check her theory.

Adrien came to the end of his song, and saw that the class were staring at him without a word. Not a single reaction, not a single sound. Slightly fazed, he went back to his seat. He whispered over to his friends, "How was that?"

Only Marinette had the wits about her to reply, "It was an interesting experience."

"Interesting doesn't always mean good," he said self-consciously.

"Semantics."

He didn't catch the hint, looking still a bit awkward. Obviously she had to be more blatant, to check if her idea was right, "You know, even though there were a few technical faults, you looked like a perfect knight up there."

He jerked to attention, looking her in the eye, seeing some meaning hidden there, "You think so?"

She nodded, "I can imagine you climbing in through the window to rescue someone."

Alya looked baffled at her friend's new bravery. Adrien looked coy, "Ah, damn, there goes my secret."

So it was true! "I have one or two of my own I think I could trade for that," she smiled. It was only fair after all, he should know the face of his partner. Friends across both identities - and perhaps, with more brewing beneath - she could only see that their teamwork would improve now. He'd all but confirmed it. Adrien was Chat Noir and there was no more perfect person it could be.

But meanwhile, "Hey, I was thinking, could you maybe help me with my science homework? I didn't get a chance to finish it last night since some dumb stray cat distracted me."

He laughed, fixing her with his intense green gaze, and brilliant smile, "I'd love to, princess."

Alya all but screamed.

[BTW this is the song I was thinking of when I wrote this]

#marichat may #marichat #chat noir #marinette #miraculous ladybug #ml fanfic #adrien agreste #adrinette #playing with the cliche boyyyy #kwa-mine