ML Writer Zine

written for @mlwriterzine​, beta’d by the wonderful @128andfalling​ and @powerdragonmoon​. thanks to the entire team for an absolutely fantastic zine!

[ read on ao3 ] [ or continue below ]

The afternoon sun beats hot on Cat Noir’s head as he leaps across the Parisian rooftops. It’s just the right sort of summer day for ice cream, or a trip to the beach, or a long nap. Ladybug herself is asleep, snoring gently against Cat Noir’s shoulder.

Some tiny part of him is quietly enjoying the feeling. The rest of him is panicking, because there is an akuma on the loose and a sentimonster on his heels.

“Stay away!” he yelps, clutching Ladybug closer to his chest as he flees.

“Lord, what fools these mortals be!” the sentimonster replies. “Black cat, I wish but to parley.”

“No!” Cat Noir drops into an alley and takes several sharp corners, then knocks a manhole cover spinning to dive into the sewers.

He turns another couple of corners, the back of his neck still prickling with nerves and sticky sweat. The sewers are marginally cooler, shielded as they are from the summer sun, but they are also stiflingly humid.

And, of course, they stink.

on ao3

my fic for the @mlwriterzine!! thank you so much to all the mods for creating such a GORGEOUS zine, i absolutely cried when i first held it. and thank you to my beta, @chatnoirinette, for helping fix this up! it was such a great experience and writing juleka and rose was just. it was so nice. it was so nice!!!

flower meanings are subjective and change a lot but from the victorian meaning list i was using: iris: faith, your friendship is precious, thank you for being a friend ivy: friendship, affection, fidelity orange blossom: your purity equals your loveliness

i hope you enjoy! <3 

Juleka looks out the window as her phone buzzes in her hand. The rain is coming down in torrents— sheets of gray that make the entire city look like it’s in mourning. She chews on her bottom lip as she eyes the heavy clouds. In the background, the weather report plays on TV. Rain all day, with a very low chance of it stopping. 

Somehow, when coming up with all their contingency plans for akumas, no one thought to have one for bad weather. For some reason, it never crossed anyone’s mind. Not even last night when they were finalizing all their plans when someone really should’ve just opened a weather app. 

“This is why the class average on the last test was a c-,” Chloé had said in the class group chat after Rose sent a short message canceling today with way too many emojis. 

Juleka sighs and rests her head against the window. The glass is cold against her skin and is a welcome change to the warm kitchen that’s starting to feel too warm. Disappointment sinks in her gut, but worry flutters in her chest.  

The plan had been a picnic in the park. A break from all the akumas and schoolwork and a day for everyone to, hopefully, just chill. Unfortunately, their akuma plans all just involved regrouping after Ladybug and Chat Noir dealt with things. 

Ignoring the various ‘aw no’ and ‘sorry Rose’ messages, she opens her private chat with Rose. 

╰☆☆╮ Jules!!  ╮☆☆╰      are you alright? 

❀ rose ❀      Of course I am!! Its just a picnic Jules dont worry about me!!! <3

This piece was written for the @mlwriterzine

I was so grateful to be part of such a fantastic zine with so many amazing writers! (Do check out the works by everyone else, they’re all so good!!) Also big thanks to the mods for all their hard work in making honestly such a beautiful zine.

AO3

Paris glistened under the glorious summer sun; the skies shimmered blue overhead. Yet Marinette felt only ice swirl in her gut as she and Alya reached the top of the mountain.

She placed her basket down with a thump and inhaled the summer air, attempting to alleviate her anxiety. But it was hot and stifling and burned through her lungs, only succeeding in magnifying her emotions.

She brushed her fringe back. “I hate summer,” she muttered, glancing at her friend. With her short-shorts, loose buttoned shirt, and hair swept into a high ponytail, Alya Césaire looked the epitome of cool.

“No, you don’t,” Alya said, not unkindly, as she unravelled the picnic blanket. “You’re just nervous.” Marinette bit her lip and took the sides, helping her friend lie it flat. “Though I don’t know why,” Alya continued as they both crawled onto the rug, “I thought you’d be excited to see our ray of sunshine again.”

Marinette averted her gaze. Sunshine, sunshine, Paris’s perfect ray of sunshine. Yet the thought of him made her turn cold.

She grabbed the basket and unloaded the food while Alya laid the drinks on the blanket, but she tensed when she opened the box of Dupain-Cheng pastries, full of croissants and cookies …

And passionfruit macarons.

“It’s been five years, Alya,” Marinette said quietly. “What if everything’s changed?”

This is my contribution to @mlwriterzine Once Upon A Season! It was a pleasure to be a part of the project and the finished piece (a gorgeous 260 page paperback) was a treat!

Also on AO3!

Adrien is and always has been a young man of many talents. He excels in sports, outshines in academics, and loves tinkering with the vintage 1962 Ferrari he keeps in a secret garage just up the road from their belle-époque penthouse apartment in Paris. So honestly, Marinette shouldn’t have been surprised upon finding a sailing yacht waiting for them in the luxurious marina of Saint-Tropez.

“Um…” Gobsmacked, Marinette slips off her sandals and follows him over the exquisitely varnished toerail, “… since when do you know how to drive a boat?”

“Since I was eight.” Adrien shrugs as if it’s no big deal. “Mère loved to come down every year to watch the annual regatta. She even sailed in a few of them herself.”

“Wow.” Marinette’s eyes grow wide as she gawks at the opulent 16 metre sailboat. She’d never dreamt of setting foot on one, let alone cruising on one through the French Riviera for a week on her honeymoon. Elated, Marinette can hardly keep the stars from her eyes as she drops her shoulder bag and scampers across the deck until she reaches the front of the vessel, splaying her arms out wide.

“I’m the king of the world!” she cries, laughing as Adrien runs along behind her and plants his hands on her hips, holding her steady.

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes.” She grins into the salty breeze coming off the Mediterranean and steps onto the first rung of the railings. “Just don’t let me fall overboard.”

“You’ll be flying soon, M’Lady.” Adrien pulls her against his chest and presses a kiss to her temple, his stubble scratching softly against her skin. “But first, we have some fenders to collect.”

Marinette blinks. “Uh… what exactly is a fender?”

Adrien’s indulgent laughter echoes in the headsail. “You’re about to get a crash course in Sailing 101, Buginette. Are you ready to be my first mate?”

Marinette spins around in his arms and bops him on the nose. “Teach me everything you know, Captain Kitty.”

Adrien hums, tipping her chin upwards to kiss her lips. “I like the sound of that.”

What am I doing? What am I doing? What on earth am I doing? The obvious answer—stalking a celebrity in broad daylight—didn’t seem to cover the magnitude of her stupidity. Ladybug knew she shouldn’t be out here, in the cold, sitting in a barren, snow-glazed tree, staring at her breath and Adrien’s front door. She was sure to be caught, and the worst of it was that she couldn’t even see his window from here. All of the dangers, with none of the benefits.

It had been twenty-four hours since Chat Noir’s accidental identity reveal and Ladybug just wanted to ‘check on’ her partner. Not talk to him exactly, but just see him. Make sure he was okay. Without him seeing her. But she couldn’t really do that from here, so she’d have to loop around to his window.

Not giving herself the chance to change her mind, she unhooked her yoyo and jumped. Each swing closer gave her another ten reasons to turn back. It was too soon. Neither of them were ready. She shouldn’t be putting him in danger like this.

But Ladybug was suddenly on his fence, balancing dangerously between making one last leap to his window ledge and retreating. The quiet of his yard made her stop. A breeze skimmed the tops off of snow drifts. Sunlight reflected off the icicles hanging from the roof.

She really should check on him. It hadn’t been right to dump him and run like she had yesterday.

She took a breath. It was probably best to leave. Neither of them would be able to act professionally now that his identity was out in the open. If they didn’t put up boundaries now, they wouldn’t be able to protect Paris. And if they couldn’t protect Paris, then Hawk Moth would win. But boundaries could easily become walls, and then they’d drift farther and farther apart and then—

Ladybug heard the wet smack before she felt the cold of the snowball exploding across her cheek.

“HEADSHOT! WOO!” Adrien jumped out from behind a very tall, thin snowman as chunks of snow dripped off Ladybug’s cheek.

My piece for the @mlwriterzine. Thank you to the mods for creating such an incredible project!

And thank you so much for reading and providing feedback @the-picayune and @kryallaorchid, your ideas and encouragement were essential and I cannot be more grateful!

AO3

Ladybug and Chat Noir have always communicated in unthinking touches. An arm wrapped around a waist to launch them through the sky, a hand squeezing a shoulder in reassurance and shared strength, a flick on the nose to satiate that magnetic pull, that irresistible tug which binds them together. It’s comfortable—natural. As true to the earth as the moon pulling on the sea. It’s not until after the curtain drops and the masks fade away that Marinette realizes she never believed those easy touches would stop. With an honest heart, she thought leaving their identities behind would only open the door for more casual affection, for fingerpads to glide like silk before tightening around an elbow and playful shoves of shoulders under the chaos of video game fire. 

But sometimes, she’s afraid to look at him. She’s terrified to see the emotion when their eyes connect and even more afraid to have to watch them snap away. The air between them is always thick and heavy, a shroud of unsaid words blocking them from making contact. It makes Marinette’s heart ache in a way she isn’t entirely comfortable acknowledging.

It does not take long for everyone around them to notice. She agrees to spend lunch with Alya and Nino, but she never sits beside Adrien. The four will partner up for class assignments, but when she breaks her pencil, Adrien barely glances up as he passes her a new one. They’re so careful not to touch, so careful not to look, so careful not to hope. 

It’s almost three weeks after their biggest secrets were torn from unyielding lips that Adrien and Marinette are forced together.

Summary: Marinette and Adrien share their very first kiss after their very first date. Chat is so overjoyed he’s ready to burst into song, albeit not all Parisians share the sentiment. Ladybug comes to investigate the complaints about a feline caterwauling in the spring rain. Luckily, it’s just her very wet boyfriend. A Miraculous Writer Zine​ story.

A/N: This is my piece for @mlwriterzine . I’m so happy I can finally share it! I feel honored to be among the chosen authors. I want to thank everyone, who made this zine possible, it was an amazing adventure! Make sure to read works in the zine collection, they’re all a m a z i n g !

AO3

The whisper of wind in his ears, the tap of boots on the tin roofs, the pigeons nesting among the chimneys, cooing to the spring in his step. Chat Noir ran high over the streets, reveling in this late April evening, basking in the fading light of day. 

Everything in his path was blooming recklessly, fueled by sunshine, turning the warmth of spring into an opulent palette of greens, whites, yellows, pinks, and every other color one could think of.

It wouldn’t have been far from the truth if Chat claimed he floated on the breeze. It certainly felt like it. Butterflies, the good kind, not the evil purple ones that’d been giving them so much grief, fluttered happily in his stomach. His chest swelled with affection as if it tried to contain all the smells and scents at once.

His heart was so full he was ready to burst into song any second now. And snugly pressed to his chest was none other than the bravest, prettiest, awesomest, and the most amazing girl he knew. The love of his life, sans the spots. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. His Lady. His girlfriend. His everything. 

Here are the summer spots I made for the wonderful @mlwriterzine ! It was really fun to work with everyone involved, and I’m really proud that we were able to to raise $2385 for AO3.

I was not able to share through the illustrations alone, that all the flowers featured in the illustrations have meanings that coordinates with the plot. I am sharing the info below with links to the wonderfully skilled writers that created these stories. :)

For Transience by @ao3bronte

White lily - sincere, pride.

For Storm Soundtrack by @omnistruck:

Hydrangea - shifting feelings, a change of heart.

For Shattered Sunshine by @inkjackets:

Amur Adonis - sorrowful rememberance, sad memories.

For The Start of A Song by @their-destinys-writer:

Lavender - Slience, “Waiting for your answer”, “Please answer me”, anticipation, confusion.

For A Midsummer’s Daydream by @soundofez :

Silene/Catchfly - temptation, fake love, lingering affection.

For I’m Gonna Miss You When It’s Over by Bee:

White orchid - purity, innocence.

it’s finally time!! the zine has been sold out, the money donated to ao3 so we got permission by @mlwriterzine to publish our finished piece! thank you to everyone who worked on the zine - the mods, writers and artists - and thank you to everyone who bought our zine, we’re so honoured!! this couldn’t be possible without all of you <333

i hope you guys enjoy this story and don’t forget to check out everyone else’s work, as well!!

-

When Adrien opens his eyes, he thinks he sees Ladybug there in the silhouette of the inky blue sky and the streetlights blinking back at him like a low-hung moon. He sighs when he blinks a few more times and she’s gone, a whisper in the night that never existed.                      

Hair falling back against his pillow, he closes his eyes and throws his arm over his face. Plagg’s soft snores tickle his ears. “Another dream,” he murmurs and cracks open an eye. The ceiling stares back down at him. He can’t tear his eyes off the long, shadowy crack he’s mapped during sleepless nights so many times he can draw it by memory. It reminds him of the route Ladybug and he took all those weeks ago, when she graced him with the snake miraculous and his dreams have never been the same ever since. Duck behind the trash can, run a straight line from there to the other side of the square and then zap — she was gone like the promise she had whispered to him, assuring him that she’s never going anywhere.

I’m so honored to have been part of @mlwriterzine , and even more honored to write about my two favorite things: Marinette’s birthday, and Luka 😂 We just got permission to post our pieces, so here was mine.

Anyway, enjoy!

New York.

She was going to New York.

And she was eighteen.

Marinette had heard a lot about both of these things. That because she was eighteen, she could drive—except in New York she could have been driving at least a year ago. (Not that anyone drove in New York anyway, because it was, according to Mrs. Bourgeois, a total nightmare.) And because she was eighteen, she could drink—except in New York she’d have to wait three more years, the reason for which was beyond her, especially considering she wasn’t terribly keen on drinking in the first place. And because she was eighteen, she could play the lottery—and in that respect, at least New York was the same—but it didn’t mean much to her when she felt such a stinging guilt about getting money that she hadn’t really earned.

Somehow, it all already felt like too much, and she was only hours in. Still in the middle of her own birthday party, even. And the one thing that had not, and probably would not change, she noted grimly, was that she still didn’t know what to do when everyone gathered to sing “Happy Birthday.”

Seriously, what was she supposed to do? Sing along? Clap? Dance? Smile and wave, boys, smile and wave?

Did anyone know?

Here’s the piece I did for the @mlwriterzine , “Once Upon a Season”! I got to do the full-page illustration for the “Summer” chapters of the book!

A big thank you to everyone who was able to purchase a zine and help support fan writers; we raised $2,385 for Ao3 thanks to you!

Summary: Marinette is worried about the future. Adrien wants to know where he fits into it.

A/N: This piece was written for the @mlwriterzine and I’m so excited to finally share this with you!  I hope you enjoy it and also go check out the zine because there are so many amazing stories/art pieces collected there.

AO3

The party was well underway by the time Adrien knocked on Nino’s door. Alya was the one who answered, half of her face obscured by gold tin foil pinned to a green beret.

“Speak of the devil,” she grinned, leaning heavily on the door frame.

Adrien bussed her cheek and passed over the bottle of rosé he’d swiped from his father’s wine cellar. “Sorry, Alya. The show ran late. You know how those things go.”

She waved him in, whistling at the bottle in her hands, and shook her head. “Thankfully I don’t. Everyone’s in the living room.”

Adrien followed her into the kitchen instead, eyes straying over the tipsy, crowded apartment. Back against the wall, where Nino’s faded and cracked leather couch usually sat, was a long table covered in gold plastic sheeting. Green and gold hats of various styles were littered across, as well as glitter, rhinestones, netting, feathers, and any other number of crafting materials.

He smiled. “I see you’ve all started without me.”

“Naturally,” Alya said, putting his gift in the fridge to chill. “You’re several drinks behind us now, Agreste. Pick your poison.” She gestured to the half-empty bottles of liquor scattered across the bar.

“No tequila?”

She snorted. “You’ll have to track down Marinette for that one. She ran off with the bottle half an hour ago.”

Something warm filled his chest. “A cup of ice and a lime then.”

Rating: G

Word count: 3k

Summary: It’s Halloween, and the class is on a trip to Disneyland Paris. With luck on her side—and a bit of Disney magic—hopefully Marinette will finally be able to tell Adrien how she feels. But not before she makes a fool of herself, of course.

A/N: This piece was written for the Miraculous Writer Zine: Once Upon a Season! Big thanks to the @mlwriterzine team for letting me be a part of this project. And thank you to all who purchased the zine—we were able to donate $2,385 to AO3!

The zine includes 24 stories (6 per season). This one is from the fall collection. Hope you enjoy <3

it’s a small world after all

Marinette breathed in the crisp October air. The crowd around her buzzed with anticipation. Behind her, Alya held up her phone to film.

“Hey, bugheads! I’m here with my class at Disneyland Paris. No Ladybug here today, but maybe we’ll see Mickey Mouse! And since the park will be all decked out for Halloween, I bet we’ll see more than one chat noir …”

A tingle ran through Marinette. They were about forty kilometers from Paris, but she didn’t like being away from the city when Hawk Moth was still at large. She had planned to stay home, but Tikki persuaded her to go.

“Even Ladybug needs a break!” she had said. And she was right. With the stress of being the Guardian on top of everything else, Marinette hadn’t had a chance to relax in months. Besides, with the horse miraculous, she could be back at the first sign of trouble.

“So.” Alya draped an arm over Marinette’s shoulders. “You ready to make some Disney magic happen between you and Adrien?”

Here’s my piece for the @mlwriterzine, Miraculous Writer Zine: Once Upon a Season!

While primarily a showcase for writers, (so many good fics!) the zine also includes 4 full illustrations like this one (and really adorable chapter headers, plus a gorgeous cover!)