One thought that has been popping in and out of my head is a scenario in which Marinette gets akumatized (wow, how original) but instead of amplifying a negative emotion, say anger or sadness, what would happen if the akuma instead removes it?
Marinette is a very empathic girl. From children to adults, she can pinpoint what their feelings are and tries her best to help them out. Now, what would happen if â let say â her empathy disappear?
She still looks normal, acts normal, speaks normally, there is no visible difference but she just doesnât care. Not about her friends, not about her family, acquaintance or really anything. All those nice and charitable deeds she does, all the love and care she gives â GONE! because she really doesnât care anymore and can no longer sympathize.
Oh, itâs someoneâs birthday and you expected Marinette to bake you something?
âYou didnât ask me to. Besides, you already said you were going to have a birthday party so baking something would be wasteful.â
Hey look, Lila and Chloe are trying to cozy up to Adrien!
âEh, if he canât tell them to leave him alone or heâs uncomfortable then thatâs his problem, not mine. Huh? Why would that bother me? I really donât care.â
Rose is crying about something.
âNot my problem, not gonna get involved.â
Alya trying to get Marinette to like Lila.
âI donât like her so why should I force myself to? If youâre not going to respect my feelings then I fail to see why weâre friends.â
Lila bragging about how sheâs going to steal all of Marinetteâs friend.
âOkay. If theyâre stupid enough to fall for your BS lies then it probably better for me. I need people who I can trust and wonât push me aside for something thatâs so easily verified.â
Adrien lecturing Marinette about taking the high road.
âStrong words from someone whoâs never had to deal with bullying and isnât even involved in it nor will help the person bullied. Why do I have to make someone whoâs causing me pain happy? Why should people who are suffering be forced to stay quiet? So that they donât make other people uncomfortable with their problems? WowâŚyouâre such a hero.â
It unnerves the other students to see someone so sweet, kind and charity justâŚuncaring. Even when Chloe or Lila try to insult or humiliate her, Marinette just stares back at them with cold, unfeeling eyes until they get so creeped out that they leave. People start to avoid her but it barely fazes her. Tom and Sabine are also worried but have no clue how to go about their cold daughter.
Marinette, however, actually feels better than ever. All the anxiety, the pressure of being good, the stress of having all her friends leave her for Lila â gone! She can finally focus on her school work and her designs, even Ladybug has become far more efficient in battles against akumas. Sure, Tikki lectures her about how cold and uncaring sheâs being but Marinette fights back with her logic:
âMy duty as Ladybug is to defeat the akuma, recapture Hawk Mothâs miraculous and making sure the people of Paris are safe. I shouldnât be expected to be everyoneâs friend when Hawk Moth can use the people that are close to me as bait. And if Chat Noir wants to throw a temper tantrum like a five-year-old because I donât return his feelings than maybe he should quit and give up his miraculous. Maybe then I can get a better partner who doesnât put all of Paris in jeopardy because of his feelings. And no, I donât regret telling him that.â
This goes on for months and Marinette is further alienated from her classmates. Even the teachers are a bit wary of her. Until one day, a particularly violent akuma attacks the school. Marinette separates herself from her classmates to transform but is unable to and is face-to-face with the akuma in an empty classroom. After trading blows for a bit, the akuma getting the upper hand, Marinette is fed up and takes a small beam that fell from the crumbling ceiling and attacks.
A single blow to the head is enough to knock down the villain but it isnât enough for the unfeeling Marinette.
Her job as Ladybug is to defeat the akumas, recapture Hawk Mothâs miraculous and keep Paris safe. She couldnât afford to be soft and weak. People like that always get taken advantage of. This particular akuma had injured several people before it came here, so it was only fair he felt the same pain as they did.
She kept swinging, preventing the villain from getting up. Her weapon was turning red. The akumaâs head was turning red. Her clothes and body was stained with red specks. But she kept swinging.
Alya grabbed the girl by the wrist, halting her mid-swing. Looking down, she saw the villainâs head was a bloody pulp. Blood â its blood â coated its head, as well as her weapon and her clothing. She couldnât hear Alya hysterical blathering as she focused her eyes on the akumaâs chest. Still raising. Still alive.
Marinette turned to Alya who was in near tears at the sight. Not too far behind was the rest of her classmates, sharing looks of equal horror. None of them looked at her, took focused on the crumpled body of the akuma.
âWhy did you stop me? Heâs still alive.â
Alya turned to her, ready to scream at her former friend, but froze. She, as well as the other students, started to back away slowly from her, making her give them all a questioning look.
âMâŚMarinetteâŚyour eyesâŚâ
Glancing down at a shard mirrored glass, something that had fallen from the ceiling, Marinette saw what Alya and the rest of the students were so afraid of:
Her blue eyes were now purple.
And centered by the glowing outline of a butterfly.
âOhâŚwell thatâs a problem.â
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