If I was gonna rework Miraculous Ladybug as a more classic Magical Girl show I'd have the akuma-butterflies be a naturally occurring magical phenomena at first. Special butterflies that flap around soaking up people's emotions; if one of them fills up with too much negativity, it can akumatize a person who currently feels those negative emotions.
Several of the Miraculous are capable of purifying them (Ladybug, Butterfly, maybe the Bee if we keep the insect theme?). Keep Fu's canon backstory so he's reluctant to give them to anyone, causing a build-up of akuma-butterflies. Stoneheart happens naturally, forcing Fu to finally send out the Ladybug. He sends the Black Cat too (either for cosmic balance reasons, or because he wants to make sure the Ladybug has a heavy hitter for protection).
For the first few episodes, Hawkmoth is a shadowy figure commenting on the news reports while tending to a garden of already corrupted akuma-butterflies. By episode three or four he's confident the Ladybug hero is in Paris to stay, and unleashes an akuma to make his canon demand.
The mix of naturally occurring and Miraculously-cultivated akuma lends an element of unpredictability to both heroes and villains' plans, lets us nerf Hawkmoth a little (he needs to take breaks) without letting the heroes take a day off, makes Fu & Hawkmoth both a little less stupid, and opens the worldbuilding up for other naturally occurring magical phenomena.
(Maybe some magical ladybugs that redistribute luck?)
I'd also have the number of permanent holders steadily increase. Firstly by having Fu treat the "temporary hero" thing as more of a trial period, which he intends to potentially lead to permanent status, since Ladybug & Chat Noir are easing his fears (though the reveal of Hawkmoth's existence sets him back a few episodes, give Fu a character arc dang it).
Secondly by having young Fu lose most of the Miraculous back when the temple was destroyed, and only recovers a few over the decades. The Peacock & Butterfly fell into villains hands, but the Rabbit is off having adventures, and a few others wound up in random places, with their kwami either kicking their heels to see what happens next or actively seeking out a holder who vibes with them.
Sometimes, the road traveled is merely the one walked... also, have some more mythology!AU since people seemed to enjoy it!
Series: Miraculous Ladybug
Rating: G+
Genre: Fluff, General
Pairing(s): Adrinette
Summary: Marinette shouldn’t leave her field, but the sight of that blonde-haired God in black lingers on her mind.
Warning: No beta!
Marinette didn’t see him again after the first day of Spring and all she could wonder was why. Obviously, they had been another God, and yet, they had stayed back beside the trees. It was so peculiar to her especially since her mother always warned against her being alone, saying things like the other Gods would immediately take her away the instant they saw her.
But she was still here, in the field with her ladybugs, unapproached and untouched.
He had walked away and she recalled catching the briefest look at his face.
Why had he seemed so sad?
Looking down at her hand as the usual ladybug landed light upon her finger, she raised the precious insect close to whisper, “Tikki, please, show me where that dark God has gone.”
Little Tikki’s antennae twitched and she hesitated, standing still on her Goddess’s finger. Marinette pursed her lips a bit.
“Tikki, is he a vile God?”
The little bug’s antennae shook.
“Then why do you hesitate? Is it because of mother?”
The antennae moved up and down. The Spring Goddess sighed, shaking her head, “Don’t worry yourself over mother. Besides, other Goddesses have already met the other Gods yet I have not.”
Tikki’s antennae fell and the tiny creature did seem to sympathize. They sat barely a few seconds in silence before the spotted shell upon the bug’s back opened, revealing her glossy wings. Taking off, she hovered in wait and Marinette rose to her feet, beaming. “Thank you, Tikki. Please, lead me on.”
She knew the way in which the God had fled, but beyond the trees, Tikki had to guide her. It wasn’t far, but when they reached the ominous cavern, the Goddess felt something she rarely ever encountered: cold and decay. Raising a hand, she let the powers that clung to this area touch upon her, just to see what it truly was. Very little of her powers seemed capable of weaving through it before fading out.
This was no mere cavern – it was a barrier between the living realm and the afterlife. Still, this was where Tikki brought her.
“… How strange. That sad God belongs to the Underworld?” she asked softly, her brows furrowing. Though she personally knew little of the realm itself, that God had appeared so… well, he wasn’t what she’d expect from the many stories her mother or father had told. Perhaps someone more frightening, with wicked eyes and a sinister grin, but the God had bore none of those features.
Taking a step forward, she soon took another, placing herself before the barrier. Tikki flitted madly by her ear, trying to draw Marinette away, but the Goddess lingered by the entrance nonetheless.
And with her hands clasped together, the Spring Goddess decided to step through.
why's it taking you so long to catch up on magical ladybug
I’ve had a lot of things going on, unfortunately. Most notably the fact that I have been in poor health and about to go study abroad.
As of now, I’ve just arrived in Japan, where I’m studying, and I’ll be trying to adjust and finding a more long-term place to live. LOTS OF THINGS HAPPENING AAAAAAAAAAAAA
Tags from my not-writing-it-just-daydreaming Miraculous Ladybug AU that's closer to Mahou Shoujo or a team superhero show where Fu lost like half the Miracle Box in the disaster:
#Anarka wears lots of jewelry lives on a boat and used to be a rock star #so she's clearly a semi retired Travelling Bard who's picked up magical items over the years #which gives us an in for Juleka and Luka whether or not Fu picks them
#Lila straight up should have the actual Fox Miraculous and be our obligatory Dark Magical Girl Antagonist
#instead of a Kubdel family heirloom the Watch is an artifact from a museum display #maybe Fluff starts chatting with Alix out of the blue one day or maybe Alix swipes the Watch on a dare fully intending to put it back #but WHOOPS you're a hero now congrats kid!
#Alya gets a hero tryout because Marinette talked her bestie up to Fu a lot though I don't know which Miraculous she gets
Let's give Alya the Ox, because immunity to other people's powers seems like a good fit for the baby journalist who goes running into danger to get footage. This girl is determined.
More thoughts on Miraculous distribution!
The Dragon wound up with the Tsurugi family and Kagami has it now. They don't know about Longg yet, he thinks Kagami is doing fine and won't reveal himself until she needs helping getting away from her akumatized mother.
Similarly, Roarr and Sass have been quiet, it's easy for them to explore outside the Miraculous without getting noticed in the chaos that is the Couffaine household. They finally reveal themselves to the kids in Captain Hardrock, but not the full extent of their powers until later. Roarr is building Juleka's confidence up before teaching her Clout, and Sass has seen too many holders go insane to introduce Second Chance until it's absolutely needed.
A few years before the show starts, the Agreste & Bourgeois families took a joint vacation to Tibet, Gabriel & Emilie intending to search for more Miraculous. They find none, while Adrien & Chloe pick up the Black Cat ring and Bee comb at a local market or jewelry shop.
Plagg is deep asleep inside the Ring. He won't wake up until Fu gives Marinette the Ladybug and she purifies her first akuma. Then he'll be groggy and disoriented for a bit, until Stoneheart happens and he wakes up fully.
I think this fits better for Adrien's attitude of Chat Noir being his freedom, rather than a responsibility. Helping Ladybug purify the akuma is great fun, he's here for the adventure, but no one bestowed duties on him. Could also give him an arc of slowly coming to take things more seriously, or a villain arc where he eventually joins Gabriel. Lots of potential if he's a wildcard from the start.
Pollen is awake and lying low. She reveals herself to stop Chloe from getting turned into glitter (...wow, that's three for three on the kids being in danger from akumatized moms, yikes show). Chloe gets several episodes of trying to be a hero, hampered by her own need for recognition, until Audrey refusing to acknowledge Queen Bee or Chloe (maybe stick Sandboy in the middle of this arc?) pushes her over the edge.
That gives us our first instance of a kwami renouncing their Miraculous' holder. None of the heroes knew that could happen! The villains have been using an enslavement spell on their kwami this whole time, that Gabriel & Emilie found in the grimoire.
(Potentially, the Fathoms could have also been on the family trip, Felix getting the Dog necklace. Barkk reveals herself after Felix gets home. Her goal is to reunite all the kwami from the Miracle Box. They're her pack, she wants them back.)
Meanwhile, Sabine Cheng, Claudie Kanté, and Kim's mom-or-aunt (depending on how show-canon we keep the family tree) were a Magical Girl team in their youth. Claudie had the Horse, Kim's relative the Monkey, and Sabine had either the Pig or Mouse depending on if we want to go full Journey to the West reference or have the Mouse already on hand for Kwamibuster.
They pass their Miraculous down at some point in the show, maybe after Wasp Queen makes everyone nervous. Kim is an enthusiastic hero but dedicates too much time to athletics to be a full time one, likewise Max with academics.
(If we keep the New York Special canon of robots being able to see past the quantum masking, Markov knows all the heroes' identities, and is churning through photos of Parisians trying to locate Hawk Moth.)
Sabine figured out her daughter is Ladybug very early. As this coincided with Marinette standing up to Chloe and making friends with her classmates, Sabine assumes being Ladybug is good for her, like Sabine's own youthful heroics, and doesn't notice the rising stress levels.
Sabine is trying to let her teenager have independence and doesn't mention that she knows until something catastrophic happens.
Oh! We're also changing how Marinette got the Ladybug a bit! Fu is teaching several languages at a community center and meets Marinette when she decides to learn Chinese in her first year of collège.
At first, he's been keeping an eye out for people he can potentially train as Guardians, because he's getting up there in years and is the last of the Order.
(Give his "I only chose wrong once" weight by having his previous Guardian apprentice be Emilie & Amelie's mother, who stole the grimoire from him. He knew her by [Nickname][Maiden Name] not [Full First Name] Graham de Vanily, so Emilie's name rings no bells.)
When the Negative Energy in Paris is about to hit a tipping point and start akumatizing people naturally, Fu abruptly switches from seeking out Guardian candidates to Ladybug Holder candidates.
It's possible for Guardians to purify the Negative Energy before it catalyzes into an akuma, but there's only one of him so it's too much. But the Ladybug (& potentially Bee & Butterfly) can purify no matter the stage, so finding a Holder is now urgent.
Marinette is one of several people he considers trustworthy, and he sets up some tests. As saving a stranger is considered a stronger indicator of Potential Heroism than saving someone you know, and Fu knows all his candidates, he asks Marianne for help. That's who Marinette saves from the oncoming car.
Fu gives Marinette the Ladybug earrings as a 13th or 14th birthday present with a nice little card saying he found them while travelling. Tikki still gives the full shpiel without mentioning any Guardian. Marinette is surprised in Princess Fragrance to learn that her Chinese teacher knows how to heal tiny mystical beings, but only makes the jump to "Hey, wait a minute, did you know the earrings were magic?" when the plot needs her to.
The Miraculous Ladybug Anime Version Was Gonna be CRAZY!
Today's video is about the Magical Ladybug anime that almost happened, talking about what the show was originally planned to be before it switched to 3d.
