I Made This Tumblr For A Reason That Was Not This

me: yeah i know, they’re all primary colors, it’s perfect

When you go for an MLS (Master’s of Library Science, which is a thing, and which is usually required for “professional-level” library work [which is also a weird and contentious concept that I won’t go into here]), one of the things you study is the organization of information. This deals with how to determine what a book or other material is “about"—a concept we tongue-in-cheek call “aboutness"—and how to convey that to a potential user of the item and make it easy for them to find. Things like keywords and subject headings, do I put this book about how often wild birds attack aerial drones in with books about birds or with books about technology, if its a fictional novel do I put fantasy in it’s own section or mix it in with all of the other fiction, so on and so on.

OP is organizing books by how they would look for them. OP’s partner is thinking in terms of aboutness. This is a system that works for OP because it’s their personal library: they know basically what books they own and they only own books that are relevant to them, and if they know what the book looks like, that can be a quick way to find it.

In a library that assumes the public (or people who do not own that particular collection of books) are using the collection, that doesn’t work. Books are often re-issued in multiple covers, or re-bound in new covers when they get worn out, and if the user doesn’t know what the book looks like or is expecting a different cover, they’re lost. That’s why non-personal libraries used standardized cataloging systems like the Dewey Decimal System or Library of Congress System to organize a book by what it’s “about”, and then put books about the same or similar topics together, marked with labels and signage so a person unfamiliar with the book or collection can find their way to it.

Basically, OP’s system works for their own personal library, because it’s best suited to how the primary user—OP themselves—looks for books. OP’s librarian partner is coming from a background of thinking in terms of a public-facing collection, where aboutness is the key criteria and communicating it to a user unfamiliar with the collection is the priority.

(And I also wrote for My Little Pony, which means I may have inadvertently contributed something to Seanan’s state of being. [Which I will file under the “Quiet Unholy Glee” heading.])

Félix pretending to be Adrien with the dog miraculous, effectively fooling Ladybug herself while the real Adrien stands to the side with the CAT MIRACULOUS.

it’s such good irony and really shows the juxtaposition between how Adrien presents himself as Chat Noir vs as Adrien Agreste, because yeah it does seem like Adrien Agreste would be the polite and friendly temporary holder of the dog miraculous.

Ladybug/Mari completely misunderstands him, and so does Félix, even as the one deceiving Ladybug.

And it’s so heartbreaking as the audience to watch Adrien watch this scene as it unfolds, to realize in real time that maybe Nino was right. Maybe Chat Noir is annoying, and maybe the more tame version of him is the more digestible, palatable version of himself.

The identity he created for himself, free from the influence of public expectations and his father, isn’t always polite and friendly. He gets angry and jealous, he’s annoying (affectionate) and silly, reckless and outlandish. Even his character designs shows the difference, particularly his hair—meticulously styled as a civilian, messy and wild as a superhero.

In this moment you get a sense of how utterly alone he is. No one sees him for who he is, who all of him is, and he’s trapped in this dichotomy of himself that no one can break past.

And a lot of times it seems like his friends fall for the version of him that’s easy to love rather than the version of him that’s more authentic.

Characters must make choices.

Characters should often make bad choices before they make good choices.

Character choices should drive the vast majority of the plot. Characters reacting to having random stuff thrown at them is far less interesting than characters reacting to the stuff they've thrown after it's ricocheted around and comes bouncing back toward them.

If a character refuses to make a choice, there better be consequences for that too, and you better have a damn clear way of showing those consequences to the reader and the character.

I've been considering making a Top Ten list overall for a while, but was having trouble deciding when to make it. Because, of course, there could always be a fic that comes out in the future that would replace one of the entries in this list. But then KPG approached me about doing something for the Miracu10us zine (available for download here), and it seemed like the perfect time to make my list! Which was tougher than I expected. I have read a LOT of Miraculous fics, and narrowing down to the truly best of the best was difficult, especially since it had been years since I'd read a lot of these. Still, I'm pretty satisfied with my top six especially, and these are all fics that I think an avid Miraculous reader should check out.

10. What The Cat Dragged In by Kryal

Tony's pretty sure it's written into cosmic law somewhere: superheroes are not supposed to be cute. Apparently, no one's told these two. He’s okay with that.

This one’s a fandom classic. It’s one of the most popular Miraculous fics of all time, and for good reason. The crossover characters from the Avengers feel on-point and likable, all the Miraculous characters who show up are excellent and able to show their strengths, and Tony’s frustration that, even with as much money and power as SHIELD have, they ultimately can’t do anything to help support a couple of kids… it’s palpable. The fic only takes place over a couple of days and only has a few major events, but the prose gives a lot of time to develop everything that does happen. It’s a must-read for any newcomer to the Miraculous fandom, and an excellent crossover. 

9. The Adrien and Marinette Show by @raspberrycatapult

Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste are the unsuspecting stars of The Adrien and Marinette Show, a reality television program filmed 24/7 through thousands of hidden cameras and broadcast to a worldwide audience. Unbeknownst to them, the Paris they call home is actually an elaborate set, constructed under a dome and populated with thousands of actors and crew members. Thomas Astruc, the show’s creator and executive producer, seeks to capture their authentic, unscripted emotions as they grow up. But a lie can only be maintained for so long, and as their world begins to unravel around them, Marinette and Adrien realise that all is not what it seems. A Truman Show AU.

I always thought The Truman Show was an interesting concept, but there was a major limit to what the movie could cover, given its limited runtime. The Adrien and Marinette Show, however, does not have that constraint. While The Truman Show only had time to delve into Truman’s perception of his world, and how that perception broke as the lies came to light, this fic has the space to look into how this sort of premise affects the characters around Adrien and Marinette, the actors closest to them, such as their best friends and parents, along with some side characters. I loved reading the interviews with the cast sprinkled throughout the fic, seeing how people who genuinely considered themselves to be close to Adrien and Marinette could justify lying them all the time – and how some of them questioned themselves after seeing the stress the two of them were going through.

And, somehow, all of this feels in-character! Like, even though they’re actors, everyone still feels like they’re truly themselves. It’s not that they’re pretending to be the characters they play on the show. These truly ARE them, it’s just that they have to hide a few things, keep some stuff secret. It’s really impressive. The way it’s written, it feels like the actual Miraculous characters were plucked out of the cartoon and just… had their worldview altered a bit.

But it doesn’t feel like they’re evil or bad, even though they’re perpetuating this massive lie. It just feels like they’ve grown up in a place where this stuff is normalized, so it takes a push to realize how harmful it truly is. 

I really want to see the Miracuclass’s, parents’, and teachers’ reaction to Adrien and Marinette finding out the truth, to seeing how upset they were, and how this rocks their world. A lot of them truly believed this gilded birdcage of lies were in Adrien’s and Marinette’s best interest, so to see the two of them reject that, to see how distressed the two of them were by it… that’s got to fracture, maybe even shatter their view of what they’ve been doing, and even of themselves.

Yes, this is partially me begging for a follow-up on, say, how Tom and Sabine react to their adopted daughter’s reaction to finding out the truth, to what she does because of that. I’d love a follow-up with everyone who was interviewed, honestly, or in some way covering their reactions. While Adrien and Marinette may be the stars of the show, they’re not the only people here who have thoughts and feelings, or who can change, as shown with Alya and Nino (I love Alya and Nino).

8. In case you don’t know me tomorrow by @thelibraryloser

“We live in a crazy world where pieces of our lives can be erased like they never even happened. I just wanted to memorize this moment so… so I could keep it, if that makes sense.” Adrien's heart gave a little flutter. She wanted to keep this moment, meeting him. She wanted to keep… him. “I understand exactly what you mean." In a world that has created a way to selectively delete memories, no moment is truly safe. So how do you hold on to something when the memory of it is gone? And how do you keep fighting for someone when you're the only one who remembers?

I love sci-fi. I adore exploring new technology we might get, how we might use it, and how that use says something about ourselves. And this? This is an excellent sci-fi novel. Honestly, with the way it’s set up and paced, I feel like it would make for a great movie adaptation, even.

It’s a No-Miraculous AU, there aren’t any superheroes or fantasy elements. There is, however, tech that can allow you to delete memories of certain people or events, similarly to The Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. I love how different uses and abuses of the tech’s shown, with Chloe being a frequent repeat visitor to the amnesia clinic, for instance. But it’s possible to use it on someone far less willing, if a certain controlling father is willing to cross the lines. Especially when he doesn’t like the woman his son is dating. And he has levers he can pull to try and keep away any suitors he doesn’t like.

But Adrien isn’t very cooperative, and is far too curious for his father’s liking.

It may be a No Miraculous AU, but the characters are still very recognizable as themselves, and the plots intriguing and suspenseful. If, like me, you tend to devour sci-fi anthology shows, then I think you’ll have a good time here.

Also I’m not kidding about wishing this was a movie. I know it’s likely impossible, but I REALLY think this fic would make for a great movie.

7. The Bravery Of Adrien Agreste by Druwho

Sixteen-year-old Marinette is wilting under her guardian's responsibilities. Feeling betrayed, alone, and utterly alienated from her friends, she breaks down in front of Chat Noir. After Adrien realizes his compromise with Lila hasn’t stopped Marinette’s suffering, he vows to be there for his friend. But soon, Adrien realizes he’s not so brave outside the mask. Now, he’s determined to take control of his life, even if it means running away. ...and sometimes, the bravest thing one can do is admit you need help.

This was one of the fics that I had the worst first impression of. I read the first chapter when it first released, and promptly backspaced out of the fic in disgust. Marinette starts off the fic by venting about how upset and angry she is at Adrien for him letting Lila touch him all the time even though he’s clearly uncomfortable with it, even calling him a coward over it and throwing the bracelet he gave her in frustration, breaking it in the process. Combined with the fic being named “The Cowardice of Adrien Agreste” at the time, I assumed that Marinette’s victim-blaming was supposed to be correct and right, that the narrative would back up her perspective, as it was one that I’d seen echoed around certain segments of the fandom at that time.

Luckily, one of my friends had been reading it, and was able to point me to some replies by the author that clarified their true intentions. Both Marinette and Adrien had a lot of growing they needed to do throughout the fic, and in Marinette’s case, a lot of that growth was focused on her finding out that she didn’t always know or understand everything that was going on in someone else’s life. And when she found out the things she didn’t know, when she understood them, she did everything she could to help, to make things right. That’s something I love about her character.

As for Adrien, he had to get worse before getting better, internalizing Marinette’s criticisms, since they matched with some of the self-loathing he already had going on. Lila going back on her promise to leave Marinette alone just made things worse, and Gabriel ignoring Adrien’s pleas to not have to model again were the final straw. But of course, his friends won’t let him stay lost forever, no matter how hard he tries. Especially one friend in particular.

I’m very glad that I gave The Bravery Of Adrien Agreste a second shot. It’s got some great character development, and I love how both Adrien and Marinette inadvertently hurt each other, even though they care about each other so much, and end up growing and healing together. 

6. drowning (in plain sight) by @buggachat

Everybody had expected Monarch's defeat to be a moment of triumph. Nobody had expected Gabriel Agreste, unmasked and mind frayed from continual abuse of the miraculous, crying out to all who would listen and making Paris certain of one thing: His son, Adrien Agreste, is one of his sentimonsters. And now he's missing. Nobody can find him— not even the superheroes, and not even his closest friends. But Marinette, Nino, and Alya aren't ones to give up so easily. They'll find him, no matter what it takes. (But, geez, would it kill Chat Noir to lend a hand?)

This is a very emotional fic. Paris is torn over whether to feel bad for Adrien, how dangerous he is, and even whether to consider him to be a person. Few people feel as negatively towards Adrien as Adrien himself does, however. And while Chat Noir’s still around, he’s so hostile towards Adrien, towards Marinette’s and Nino’s and Alya’s friend, that they sometimes wish he wasn’t.

Just… Marinette and Nino are breaking down over not knowing what happened to Adrien, Adrien being on the run, not eating much, all while Plagg’s begging him to get better food and shelter, to take care of himself… if you like angst and hurt/comfort and someone’s friends reaching out, again and again, to try and help them, to get them to see the value in themselves… this is the fic for you. If you’re prone to crying, prepare for some waterworks. The satisfying kind, though, the one where things are hard and bad but get better, little by little.

5. Hold Me By Both Hands by @angelofthequeers

“I know he said never to take you back,” Plagg mutters. “But he’d change his tune if he knew.” He looks Adrien straight in the eye and, more serious than Adrien’s ever seen him before, says, “There’s someone you gotta meet. He’s been looking for that book for ages.” How differently might the events of season 2 have gone if Adrien had also known of Master Fu from the start?

This fic was so good, I literally wrote essays analyzing some of its different aspects. It’s the best “Miraculous rewrite” fic I’ve seen, with it basically rewriting seasons 2 and 3. Ladybug and Chat Noir talk about their different issues more, the things they need to work on, and just… grow quite a bit.

It’s not just their relationship either. There are multiple interweaving plot threads, with a throughline about Adrien learning what sexual harassment is and what boundaries are, for instance. Since sexual harassment has sadly been normalized towards him and he’s never really been allowed to have boundaries, which also feeds into his behavior towards Ladybug as Chat Noir. He’d never want to hurt her, but he can do so accidentally because of not understanding that the ways he’s been raised was wrong. And then he needs to learn how to enforce his own boundaries, and just… it’s really good.

There’s also plotlines about some of the more minor characters, like Alya, with her getting the Fox Miraculous and soon after, having to be part of a very personal akuma fight, and trying not to let her emotions get the better of her. I love how she’s treated as a full, well-rounded character in this with her own thoughts and feelings and issues, I don’t see that often enough.

The character who I think got the best character development in this fic, though, is Chloe. Hold Me By Both Hands has the BEST Chloedemption I have ever seen, hands down, and it’s not even close. If you’ve watched The Good Place, the character arc she goes through, the lessons she has to learn, will be very familiar. 

Like in The Good Place, Chloe has a strong external incentive to wanting to become a better person – Adrien won’t be friends with her until she stops being so mean to people, like how Eleanor needs to become a person who’s worthy of being in The Good Place so she won’t be sent down to The Bad Place and be tortured. And like with that show, Chloe has a mentor in this - she goes to Marinette for help on learning to be a better person, since she considers her to be a goody-two shoes. But it’s not an easy task. Chloe can’t just change her whole personality overnight, and doing it for only an external reason… that isn’t going to last. She has to figure out her own, internal reasons to want to be better, to be nicer, without actually going against who she is. 

I just… I love that Chloe doesn’t do one, redemptive thing that makes her a “good person”. There’s no shortcuts, no easy way out, no lightswitch that flips to make her change. She has to really put in the work, and since she DID put in that work, the change feels more natural and more likely to last. This is the Chloedemption I wish other Chloedemption’s were modeled on. While I like Chloe’s where she just became a better person off-screen, or where some traumatic experience caused her to change how she interacts with people, this… this feels more realistic, and more applicable to people’s everyday lives. Just the Chloedemption alone, even as one plot thread amongst many, would likely get Hold Me By Both Hands on this list, but along with everything else the fic covers? It’s a must-read.

4. Someone To Watch Over Me by @dfcfanfics

Adrien is used to his father taking him for granted and treating him poorly, especially since his mother's disappearance... but it's never been anywhere _near_ this bad before. Between that and trouble at school, his life is in quite the downward spiral. He's been putting on a brave face, but he's struggling... and his friends are starting to notice. One special friend in particular. Marinette is determined to help him, any way that she can -- with _and_ without her mask. But when Akumas fly towards Adrien, he soon finds himself more deeply entwined in Marinette's life AND Ladybug's private life than he'd ever imagined. Can Adrien possibly decide between the two angels who are making his life worth living again? Can Marinette process Adrien's crush on Ladybug AND his growing feelings for her? And can Gabriel stop laughing long enough to launch his master plan? A fluffy DFC - buggachat Ladrienette jam.

This might be the fic I’m most personally biased towards. I don’t think it’s for everyone. All the characters talk at length about their feelings, trying to work out exactly how to navigate the fraught emotional situations they’re in without hurting anyone else’s feelings or making anything worse. If you get bored by long-winded conversations working through feelings and consequences of different actions, you’re not going to like this fic.

But personally? I loved it. I first read it as it was being released, and it helped me through a tough time in my life. I was having a lot of medical issues that were getting progressively worse, I didn’t have a diagnosis, and I legitimately thought I might die. On top of that, my parents were getting divorced (2019 was a REALLY sucky year for me).

But reading “Someone To Watch Over Me” helped. Reading about Adrien and Marinette trying to navigate a two-person poly without hurting each other, getting closer and closer together, all while being so, so careful not to hurt each other… it was really nice, especially when I needed to kill time before doctor’s appointments.

Not that it was only good because of the context in which I was reading it. I reread it in order to make a recommendation for this list, and it still holds up really well. I especially love the final act – while the fic is mostly about Adrien’s and Marinette’s (and Ladybug’s, I suppose) relationship with each other, Gabriel’s still scheming in the background, and Tikki and Plagg do a bit of exploring while Adrien and Marinette are busy with each other. I won’t spoil what happens, exactly, but the resolution to the Hawk Moth plot is one of my favorites I’ve seen.

3. Whose woods these are (I think I know) by Reiaji

Four years after his future turns to cinders, Adrien is a servant in the house he was meant to inherit. Disowned by his father and abused by his stepmother, his days are filled with drudgery until he meets a masked huntress in the forest behind his father's chateau. As his friendship with Ladybug turns to first love, he dreams of a future spent at her side. Then, on the eve of the Princess's masquerade, he meets his guardian—and is granted a wish. [Ladrien Cinderella AU]

This is both the quintessential Fairy Tales AU for Miraculous, and the quintessential Ladrien fic. In both cases, this is at the top of the must-read list. It’s not just a straight-up insertion of Miraculous characters into Cinderella. That would be boring. No, this is inspired by Cinderella. His father’s not dead, just distant. His stepsister isn’t all that awful to him, she’s just a bit vain and afraid of losing him. She’s one of the few somewhat-allies he has, in fact.

Adrien’s under a lot of stress, but he perseveres nonetheless, and even manages to help a girl who’s doing even worse than he is. Only to discover how high status she is, and for her to help him in turn, falling for his kind and gentle nature, and he, for hers, and to continue visiting each other, even though they have to keep it a secret, for fear that Audrey would tear them apart, punishing Adrien in the process.

This Cinderella fic isn’t just about forbidden love or abusive stepparents though. This is, after all, more than just a Cinderella fic – it’s a Miraculous fic as well. Cinderella doesn’t normally feature people being turned into supervillains and superheroes showing up to defeat them. Because yes, Miraculous – the magic jewels that house kwami power and allow their Holders to gain superpowers – are still a thing here. The kwamis are slightly more fae-like than normal, but still clearly themselves, and Plagg makes for quite the fairy godmother. 

I love the way Miraculous lore and concepts are integrated into this fairy tale world, I love the way Miraculous characters are integrated, I just… it’s really well-written and really good. 

2. Withered Wings by @11JJ11

Nino wasn’t sure if anyone had ever willingly took the akuma butterfly before him, but with his mind completely open to this apparent son of Hawk Moth he knew that he couldn’t turn him away. Not someone that was so afraid, not someone who would be left at the mercy of Hawk Moth.

I love Enemies AU, especially ones where Adrien’s helping the villains reluctantly, because he doesn’t have much choice in the matter. I love fics that give attention to Alya and Nino. And this fic? This scratches an itch I’d had for a while. The way Adrien used the Butterfly, and later the Peacock, differently from how Gabriel and Nathalie did, more gently, even when it might get him in trouble. The way Nino recognized that and did his best to help Adrien out, even when it led to him opposing the heroes at times. The way Alya and Marinette stepped up, bonded, became a duo, fighting against Nino’s and Adrien’s superpowered forms, even while questioning whether they were truly the villains they’d appeared to be at first glance… it’s so, so good.

Seriously, if you want a good Nino fic, a good Adrino fic, an enemies AU, or just a fic where the characters have to juggle multiple different concerns and are often stuck between a rock and a hard place, this is a fic you should check out. 

1. one does not love breathing by @wackus-bonkus-maximus

All of Paris watched as Hawkmoth murdered Chat Noir, taking the Black Cat Miraculous for himself. Ladybug swears revenge, but her enemy—and every Miraculous in his possession—disappear without a trace. Six years later, a new team of villains launches an attack: Volpina, armed with new powers; Queen Bee, with questionable loyalty; Argos, the new holder of the Peacock Miraculous; and Cat Walker, who Ladybug hates the most. Takes place after S4 - Strike Back.

This is the best Miraculous fic I’ve ever read, and it’s not even close. I was on the edge of my seat for every update, to the point that I had to make my own fanfic for it, just to make things better for the characters. Readers nowadays are lucky. They have the option of binging the whole thing at once, rather than needing to wait between updates.

One does not love breathing is an enemies au fic, sort of – Chat Noir and Ladybug were originally a team, but when he comes back as Cat Walker… well, he appears to be working for the villains. And this version of Ladybug is far more brutal after witnessing her partner’s untimely demise. 

I just… I’m not even sure how to describe this fic. You have so many people, so many moving parts as different characters try to unravel the truth of what’s going on, as those who are in the know fight against their constraints, and attempt to bring things to the happiest conclusion they can in impossible circumstances. This is an “Earn Your Happy Ending” sort of fic, and man, does everyone have to put in the work for a positive outcome. It’s just… it’s so, so good, with everyone having their own viewpoints, their own reasons for doing things, and villains with complex motivations and mysterious goals, ones you gradually uncover as the story moves forwards. There are a lot of plot twists, which makes it difficult to talk about without major spoilers.