Thelastpilot

Talk about good luck! Marinette draws Adrien’s name for their class’s Secret Santa exchange, giving her the perfect opportunity to give him the handmade coat she’s been designing just for him–with no excuse to back out in stammering embarrassment. Little does she know that he’s drawn her name and is putting a lot of thought into getting the perfect, thoughtful gift for her too. Gifts exchanged lead to more conversation, plans to hang out, and Marinette’s realization that for all the glamour of Adrien’s rich-kid/model life, he’s actually pretty lonely, especially when his other friends leave town for the holidays. Marinette’s not about to have that, so she pushes her (huge) crush on him down and determines to give him the happy family holiday he’s never had.

I know, I know, this is totally out of season, but this adorable story was too utterly sweet to not post about, regardless of the season. TheLastPilot is probably one of my absolute favorite Miraculous Ladybug fanfic writers because the tone is spot on (pun only slightly intended), the plots are thoughtful and well-planned, and the characters are the best, most enjoyable versions of themselves. Secret Santa is a great example of just that. It’s mostly this sweet (like, watch out for cavities, seriously), adorable friendship-to-maybe-more fluffy story with a big emphasis on the friendship. Marinette and Adrien’s awkward but growing friendship is really fun to read, especially with the way they esteem each other’s alter-ego without knowing their true identity woven into their interactions. And yeah, we do get a great reveal eventually. But there’s a lot of these two just being teenagers, too–shopping, playing video games, hanging out with Marinette’s parents (who are also awesome)–and that is lots of fun. The sense of humor that pervades this story is just perfect, balanced with just enough angst (mostly stemming from the notorious Gabriel Agreste) to balance it out and make the happy parts all the sweeter. Secret Santa is definitely recommended, regardless of the season.… (meer)

Cat Noir adores Ladybug, has fallen for her utterly, but the truth is that he barely knows her, doesn’t know her true identity and all the tiny personal details that go along with that at all. Meanwhile, Adrien (Cat Noir’s true identity) finds himself fascinated and troubled by the quiet, sweet girl at school who can’t seem to bring herself to even talk to him, even though she’s clearly smart, funny, and even courageous when around other classmates. Perhaps these rainy days (both literally and metaphorically) will give Adrien and Marinette the chance to get to know each other, to become friends even if they can’t become boyfriend and girlfriend as Marinette would like. Secret identities have a way of getting in the way of relationships. Yet in spite of that, the two find themselves drawn to each other, both in their true identities and in their superhero alter egos. Talk about confusion! Maybe one of these rainy days, they’ll trust each other enough disclose some of those secrets.

Rainy Days is exactly what I wanted in a Miraculous fanfic! The writing is well done, balancing the different perspectives well and including the kind of details that give the story body and depth. The story is adorable and sweet, but with enough conflict and tension to be interesting–properly flangsty (fluffy and angsty). You’ve got a touch of the typical plotlines–rampaging akumatized classmates and the like–which gives the story the proper context and flavor, but the focus of the story isn’t really on that. It’s primarily a story about a budding, beautiful friendship that gradually grows into the potential for something more. The slow-burn growth of Marinette and Adrien’s relationship is a beautiful thing; major kudos to the author for doing this remarkably well. Again, the little details make a huge difference here. At times, the story feels almost like a character study of the main characters, each from the other’s perspective. And can I just say how much I love the way the reveal was handled?! Also, props to the author for managing to craft a story that would appeal to the older viewers of the show while keeping it clean enough for all but the youngest viewers–technically it’s rated T, and there’s a few mild bits of language and a touch of whumpish action right towards the end, but it’s all pretty much PG at the worst. Seriously, Rainy Days is a clean, adorable friendship/romance story that fulfills basically everything I want from a Miraculous fic; highly recommended.… (meer)