it’s me and you against the world🦋

Like?? Chat?? The feral furry boy from the streets?? Mangy alley cat?? What a chaotic clown.

Then one day he quotes Jane Austen off the cuff during a conversation, which takes her by surprise.

Chat….…..can read????

As Adrien becomes more comfortable around her, he brings up his favorite works in literature, music, and art. He makes cheeky references to his favorite poets from the romantic period. He reviews the ballets and operas he had attended in great detail.

And Marinette's like ??????

This cat boy is so well-read?? Intelligent and charming?? Recommends poetry?? Plays piano??????

Adrien isn’t trying to impress her—he’s just socially inept and spent the majority of his life with a handful of wealthy adults. Quite frankly clueless as to what constitutes a normal life experience.

Marinette is skimming a winter wear magazine one afternoon and Chat is struggling to spark conversation so he just blurts out;

“Did you know—St. Moritz is a great place for skiing this time of year.”

“….No?”

“Oh. Cool. Where do you usually go, then?”

“Chat. I can’t ski.”

“Oh. Wait—really? I’ve been doing it since I was four. My family actually has a chateau in—”

And she’s thrown for a complete loop.

Who is this boy?????? What?? He has how many houses?

During one of her projects, Marinette goes on a happy tangent about a certain fabric and shows him beautiful concept designs. Chat is blown away by them and she's adorable when she's so excited oh wow.

However, she gives up on the design because the fabric is too expensive—which saddens Adrien. The cost barrier had never occurred to him before—it shouldn't hinder someone so talented and the pretty girl deserves pretty things.

He shows up the next day with hundreds of meters’ worth of fabric.

Marinette p a n i c s.

“Chat!? What did you do!? How—did you buy out the store’s entire supply!?”

“I wasn’t sure which color you needed so—”

“No don’t tell m—LORD—I WAS BEING SARCASTIC, CHAT! HOW???”

She starts going on conspiracy theory rants to Tikki (who obviously knows Adrien’s identity, but can’t say sh*t).

“Tikki, listen—listen—I’m completely serious! I think Chat is part of the mob. I swear—oh don’t look at me like that! Yesterday he bought me another—”

They both have strengths and weaknesses. Their arcs also have entirely different trajectories.

Marinette has to deal with the pressure of the guardianship and defeat an abusive megalomaniac—who couldn’t care less about the millions of lives he’s endangering. She’s a child soldier that never asked for these hefty burdens. Yes, Adrien obviously bears the responsibilities as well—but for better or worse—she has decided to carry the vast majority of them. She increasingly shuts him out and it will eventually blow up in her face—but that’s what makes her so complex and compelling.

The fear of failure and the unwillingness to rely on others are her biggest shortcomings. Marinette needs to break the barriers of distrust she has erected and let others in. Her role as a leader is still developing.

Adrien is on a journey of self-actualization. He has been robbed of a voice and bodily autonomy for the entirety of his life—just a mere extension of his parents and their desires. For all intents and purposes, he’s a blank human slate and has yet to discover his personal identity. The sheer impact of abuse will hit like a freight train once he realizes the reality of his situation. The boy will have a mountain of trauma to process once all is said and done

Adrien is in the midst of the Agreste saga/tragedy—but Gabriel is Marinette’s foil.

The parallels are undeniable—the interest in fashion/design, disregarding the input of those around them for varying reasons, the very intense love for their partner (two individuals which happen to mirror each other as well) etc.

Marinette will have to carefully avoid his mistakes and ensure history doesn’t repeat itself. She must not succumb to power as a solution to the problems around her. We’ve seen this set up in Robostus—she gets excited about the potential of using the ladybug and black cat miraculous in tandem to eradicate poverty, stop wars, and end hunger. Fu immediately shuts down the idea and warns her of cosmic imbalance and the fragility of the universe.

In conclusion, always question your instinctive reaction to a character. Do you fairly weigh their actions with those of others? Or are you perpetuating a double standard because you’ve been conditioned to pass harsher judgment on certain groups of people/identities?

Stick the scene (or line, or character) that doesn't fit in a blank document/on a blank paper by themselves/itself.

Then when you're bored or struggling with writer's block, revisit that piece & see where you can take it. Or maybe you can add it back to your WIP, but it didn't work where it was! (/genuine, lh)