ML Fanfic Recs for 2023: 125K+ Words
So Iâve been going through and adding particularly good fics Iâve read throughout the year. Only Complete fics, of course. Enjoy!
Dreams of You by @chocoluckchipz
Dreams had long been his only escape. Dreams of Ladybug, the girl who had always been there for him.
If only in his dreams. And only while she was also sleeping.
Because with the first rays of sunshine gliding over her skin, with the first fluttering of her eyelashes, from the moment she opened her eyes in the morning, memories of Adrien would vanish from her mind.
She would go on living her life.
He would always be the only one who remembered.
At least until they meet in the real world and fall in love all over again, something that wouldâve been easier to do if Adrien wasnât a prisoner in his own home.
Chocoluckchipz has some of the most beautifully executed lovesquare fics Iâve read, and this is no exception. Most of the fic is dedicated to Adrien wooing Marinette, spending time with her, with her own dream self acting as his wingman, giving her tips on how to get her to fall for him, all the while frustrated that she canât share memories with her waking self, and that she and Adrien canât share as much information as theyâd like while asleep, due to limitations of the âcurseâ that allows Adrien to share dreams with his soulmate.Â
Itâs not all cute Adrienette fluff though. Thereâs a threat in the background waiting to erupt, as the weirdness of Gabrielâs ultimatum to Adrien about finding Ladybug or else being forced to marry Lila keeps on gnawing at him - and with good reason. This is a world with magic and kwamis still, and that fact makes itself very relevant in the last third of the story.Â
Itâs a well-written tale and very much worth a read!
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 enemyâand every miraculous in his possessionâdisappear without a trace.
Six years later, a new team of villains launches an attack for the last remaining Miraculous: 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 a simply phenomenal fic. You get to explore a lot of different perspectives, like Felix, Kagami, Marinette, and Adrienâs, just to name a few, and see their different thought processes and plans and priorities, and how it can cause their plans to collide with each other, even when they all ultimately are aiming for a good outcome for everyone. The characters are pretty complex and can mess up at times, even when theyâre doing things (or not doing things, looking at you Luka) with the best of intentions. It was a joy to read and a real nail-biter the whole time, I actually wrote a fic for it halfway through just to resolve some of the tension for myself, One Does Not Love Shadows.
It also features the version of Luka Iâve connected best with to date, as he feels like Luka, but also is a lot more fleshed out, and can make some major errors while simply trying to avoid missteps. Itâs helped me get a better handle on a character who Iâve generally had a lot of problems with really understanding.
It is an M-rated fic, though I think Wackus is being overly cautious on that front. Thereâs no sexual content and I wouldnât put the violence or gore above a T-rating, so I wouldnât let the rating scare you off.
Boomer!Luka: FeLuka Ending series by @19thsentry-blog
In the Shadows (the first fic in the series) summary:
On one side is Luka, 140-year-old Snake Miraculous holder and keeper of the Guardianâs secrets, on the other is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a relatively newly minted hero of Paris and Guardian of the Miracle Box. Each is looking to fulfill their promises to their now gone mentors to reunite the Kwamis and keep them safe. Sounds simpleâuntil you throw in a rocky start, the Atlantic Ocean, FĂ©lix Graham de Vanily, and a whole host of secretsâŠand suddenly simple becomes complicated (story of Marinetteâs life, right?).
So this is obviously way outside my normal wheelhouse. I donât typically read Lukanette fics, even ones that turn into FeLuka later on in the series (though boy it becomes apparent quickly that the authorâs fascinated with FeLukaâs dynamic.) But this one is really good, with the best Luka-centric fics Iâve ever read, and some of the best Felix-centric content as well. I love how Luka has his own baggage here, with all the pressure of wandering around for over a century, looking after the few Miraculous he found, trying to keep whatâs left of the Order alive, unaware of Fuâs survival or of the Miraculous userâs re-emergence in Paris. Thereâs a lot of focus on Lukaâs own feelings and thoughts and problems, not just on helping other people with them.Â
The plot works even without the romantic aspect, so even if Lukanette isnât a pairing that draws you in, I still recommend this fic, so long as you donât actively dislike the pairing itself. And even though itâs a Lukanette fic, Adrien and Alya are treated fairly and with respect. Adrien may not end up with Marinette and is bummed about it, but the narrative is still kind to him overall, thereâs clearly no ill well towards him, or Alya for that matter. (There are later fics in the series that focus more on Adrien just healing and coping and living after finding out that his fatherâs a villain and his momâs been in the basement this whole time, and in the multiversal travel fic, Alya gets some standout appearances as Scarabella which are fun).
And FELIX - itâs clear that 19thsentry has this whole conception about Felixâs psychology. Heâs wrapped in a ton of self-loathing until it started to consume him, made him lash out. Him being a sentimonster, wanting to get the Peacock Miraculous, actually gave him some direction for that at least. And heâs just in this pit of his own making, until he meets Luka, who can see through him when no one else can, who cares for him even though he doesnât understand why, whoâd been through so much over the years and yet kept himself kind. Heâs attracted like a moth to a flame, infuriated that he cares, yet not able to stop himself from caring about this mysterious, infuriating musician.Â
Yeah if you canât tell this is the series that really sold me on FeLuka as a couple.
Oh yeah, one of the fics in here is M-rated, and it does earn the M rating for sexual content, though itâs nothing too major.
Accidents Are Also Miracles by @liiinerle
After a few turbulent days where four new people discover her secret identity, Marinette loses faith in her ability to keep the secret hidden. Wracked with doubts and insecurities, she pleads with Alya to take over as Scarabella, but she still canât let those worries go. Especially not once Monarch starts taking a particular, and personal, interest in her.
Along the way, she also starts to date Kagami, and has to deal with changing feelings about herself, Adrien, Alya, Kagami, and the idea of being Ladybug. At the same time, Alya works to uncover Monarchâs secret identity, while Kagami struggles against a controlling parent, and a girlfriend who seems bent on destroying herself - with or without Monarchâs involvement.
Fantastic Marigami fic here! Youâve got three major POVs in this fic: Marinette, Kagami, and to my delight, Alya. I loved getting to see Alya cope with taking over as Scarabella especially.
But of course, this fic centers more around Marinette and Kagami, with Marinette struggling with Monarch targeting her, and Kagami struggling against her abusive parent, as well as both of them trying to navigate their relationship together when they know that not everyone will approve.Â
Thereâs also some other plots going on in here, like Sabrina breaking away from Chloe and becoming more independent (and closer to Adrien in fact), as well as a Lila takedown plot, though thankfully not one that involves demonizing other characters. While there are conversations about people believing Lila and siding with her, no oneâs actually attacked for it except for Lila herself.
Oh yeah, and while this fic may not have much focus on Adrien, heâs still treated fairly and with respect, even when he messes up. He can make mistakes, but people understand where heâs coming from, and are still kind to him and want things to be okay, and to help him escape his abusive circumstances.
The previously white butterfly, now oozing black and purple as a conduit of the butterfly miraculous powers, flutters softly within the silvered-gloved hand.
It sits there for a long time.
âGo, my akuma,â The soft sigh pushes the butterfly, the akuma, out towards the despair of a love not returned. The same ache within his chest. On a level so great that heâs willing to sacrifice the city to mend it.
Itâs okay if heâs the villain for now. Heâll force the miraculous of creation and destruction to be revealed, and once he gets his hands on them, none of this pain, none of his loss, will ever happen.
This is essentially a canon rewrite for Miraculous (specifically seasons 1 and 2, with a bunch of the events mixed around) that focuses primarily on Adrien, with his relationship with Nino being the main driving relationship of the fic. (Donât worry, Marinetteâs still treated fine, sheâs just not the focus). This is the best ârewrite Miraculous with more of a focus on Adrienâ type fic Iâve seen, with it reworking the plots of the episodes so that theyâre different enough to be their own distinct thing - itâs not trying to just rewrite the canon episodes but from Adrienâs POV, thereâs a lot of lore changes going on as well, and things occur in different orders.
Like lorewise, Chatâs given a more important role in cleaning up the mess the akumas leave, with his power helping to cleanse akuma victims and he and Ladybug needing to use their powers in tandem in order to cast Miraculous Ladybug. Thereâs also no Miracle Box holding the kwamis. Instead, Chat sometimes surpasses his limits and ends up summoning kwamis, which is dangerous to him, but very useful.
What really makes this fic great though, is its focus on Adrienâs emotions. You really get a feel for Adrienâs insecurities, especially when it comes to not feeling like heâs good enough for Nino, with not wanting to bother him when he absolutely should, with feeling like heâs not a good enough friend to him, and then thereâs dealing with all of Gabrielâs usual abuse on top of that.
Speaking of Nino, this is an Adrino fic (though several characters get crushes on Adrien, Ninoâs the one who matters most for this), though a slowburn one. Ninoâs clearly head-over-heels for Adrien, but Adrien has like, no context for what a romantic crush feels like and is basically viewing Nino the way he viewed Marinette in canon prior to season 5. He clearly cares for him a lot, including romantically, he just⊠doesnât get it.
Anyway, if you want an interesting canon rewrite fic from Adrienâs perspective with Adrino as the main pairing, this is a good story to pick up!
Kintsugi - The Beauty Of Broken Things by @xaran-alamas
When freed from Mayuraâs control, and given a chance at a normal life, the Sentimonster clone of Ladybug must learn what it is to be not only a hero, but also a human being, and part of a family.
Meanwhile Marinette needs to figure out what to do with a hyper-energetic Kwami with a broken Miraculous.
Sentibug-centric fic here! The longest one in existence, in fact. Xaran does a great job of developing Centi, having her figure out what she wants and how to belong, and also deal with her feelings towards her creator - which are pretty negative since, you know, Mayura tried to kill her. The way sheâs developed is excellent, and I adore her fitting into the Couffaine family after they take her in, with Juleka, Luka, and Anarka taking a shine to her quickly, and her to them. We spend a lot of time with the Couffaines as a result, so itâs also worth reading if you want to see more of that family, especially Juleka.
you made me a hero - reverse crush short stories series by @non-fantasy
This series is just plain fun! Like the title says, itâs a reverse crush AU, so Adrienâs head-over-heels for Marinette, while Ladybugâs smitten with Chat Noir. Which means that Adrienâs constantly trying to woo Marinette while Ladybugâs attempting to have normal conversations with Chat Noir (and failing), and both of them are oblivious to each otherâs feelings.Â
I love the way non-fantasy executes it, with Alya literally carrying around a spray bottle because of how eager Adrien is, and Ladybug being VERY SCARY if you ever lay a finger on Chat Noir (seriously akumas will literally beg for their akumatized object to be broken just to escape her wrath).Â
Oh, also, Ladybug regularly stops by Adrienâs room so they can both lament how difficult of a time theyâre having wooing their crushes, and just have fun together.
Thereâs a lot of entries in this series - 29 of them in fact - but most of them are pretty short, making it great if you want to devour some quick, cute, hilarious romcom action!Â
Some stuff does actually change over the course of the series, itâs not just slice-of-life. Like identity reveals, dating, and even Hawkmothâs defeat, so thereâs clear progression and changes in circumstances as well.
Not a Monster at All by @book-sandwich
Adrien Agreste overhears a conversation he shouldnât, and a revelation sends him falling onto the terrace of the only person he can trust: his good friend (?) Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
Takes place sometime after the first two episodes of season 5!
As you can probably guess from the title, this is a Sentimonster Adrien, Monarch takedown fic. Adrienâs going through a tough time, and Marinetteâs just trying to be there for him as his whole worldâs collapsing around him. Unfrotunately, they still donât know what the object is, or how likely Gabriel would be to control Adrien if he hinted that he knew the truth, which leaves Adrien in a precarious position - still not having done an identity reveal doesnât help matters.
Itâs a really solid fic for the genre, though since it started up before the later parts of season 5, there are a few things that donât match up with the canon information we obtained later on.Â
In the aftermath of Hawk Mothâs defeat, Ladybug finds her heart torn between her schoolgirl crush and her superhero partner â who returns, after an unexplained hiatus, more irresistible than ever.
Gabriel Agreste is unmasked, and Paris rises up in the aftermath.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng must weather Parisâ anxious protesters, ravenous reporters, a scattered team of judiciary investigators, and her conflicting feelings for two different boys. In the eye of this storm is the elusive Adrien Agreste, the primary witness in his own fatherâs trial, who might just hold the secret to finding the Peacock Miraculous.
(If only she wasnât in love with him.)
Meanwhile, locked away in Le Grand Paris hotel, Adrien grapples with his responsibilities to a city that canât decide if it hates or loves him. Keeping his daytime persona and Chat Noir separate entities becomes even harder when Ladybug, whom he has finally decided to get over, starts visiting him at night, determined to figure his secrets out.
(If only he wasnât in love with her.)
When an unknown figure returns with the Peacock Miraculous, Ladybug and Chat Noir will have to save their city once more â or lose each other trying.
I love how this fic shows Adrien just breaking down over the reveal of Hawk Mothâs identity, heâs in a Very Bad Place for a substantial portion of the fic, and being a suspect and witness in the case does NOT help. Itâs got the most detailed âAdrien suffering the consequences of the backlash to his fatherâs prosecutionâ plot that Iâve seen.
Still, things get better with time, slowly, gradually. Itâs not all at once, or a completely linear road, but heâs got his friends, even after everything.
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