An observation I've came to when thinking about Rena Rouge in @moonfly7 Aftermath AU after establishing that relationship between her and Metamorph is a pseudo-romantic, is that she reminds me of Ragatha from TADC in regards to Jax.
They're a "What could've been" couple because after some things (which you can find out in masterpost) she can never forgive him, so he shifts more into "Unforgivable Villain" category for her.
Then when she confronts him about the terrible thing he done while bearing her soul, he does too amd now she knows more than anyone else and she can't hate him entirely, so he's a very dark grey type of person for her.
I personally like Adrien x Alix a lot, so her becoming his partner in crime early on with just doing some harmless stuff to repay for her powers but then growing into someone who's input in plans is as valuable as his or Nathalie's, who saves his ass many times and becomes a partner in everything is a wonderful ship dynamic.
Her being with him brought out the soft, caring part she always hid as a weakness, and her bringing out the rage, greed and possessiveness he tried to hide away is just such a nice "opposites attract" thing.
Responding to @moonfly7 Aftermath/Metamorphosis AU post about Rena Rouge
This one specifically: https://www.tumblr.com/moonfly7/813344955037794304/the-door-creaked-slightly-as-rena-rouge-slowly?source=share
Also this art of Adrien by LadyRed will be relevant
"Damnit! Where did he go?" - Rena landed in the alley where the guy bolted to. He's the only somewhat solid clue about what the hell is going on with all the akumatizations of lawyers, cops and otherwise protective people. Step by step she walked closer into the narrow street, waiting for the attack from the hiding perp.
"We really gotta stop meeting like this, Firefox." - a voice said from where she passed. This time she turned before he could even get his blades out.
"Weird for a moth to hide in the dark, and not fly towards the light, don't you think?" A hearty laugh followed.
"Rena, Rena, Rena..." he continued in condescending, distempered tone. "And here I thought I finally had an equal amongst your ranks... Only for you to disappoint me like this.
You should know that I am not a moth, I am not a butterfly, I'm not an insect at all. What I am though, is Change. Literally, Metamorphosis."
"You done with obligatory dorky monologue? Do you villains have make at least one to be categorised as a villain?" - she was just stalling, and he knew it. The worst part, he didn't do anything and just stood there. A silent silhouette of a young man in a suit with a cane, weirdly straight and plain, stick-looking cane. Except that was no cane at all, her neck still remembers the sharpness of that tanto-like sword.
"Waiting for someone?" - he distracted her from her thoughts.
"Maybe."
"In that case you better settle down, they won't be here for a lo-o-ong time." She doesn't have to see the bastard to know he's smiling.
"Really? Let me guess, another akuma is going to stall Ladybug and the team, while the Big Bad Morph takes down the poor Foxy down?
At least Hawkmoth's plans actually were original."
"Incorrect." Metamorph finally decided to come out under the moon light. Alya knows she shouldn't think those thoughts about a villain, but it's not like he made it any easier.
Golden blonde hair slicked to the back, an ornamental butterfly mask covered his pretty face leaving only openings for emerald green eyes. Unlike Hawkmoth, who seemed to leather and fashion atrocities made woth it like his cowl, Morph had a wonderfully fitting suit, that if not for the massive butterfly, could be just a fancy purple suit. Right on the collar of his shirt was the reason for all this mess, the Locket of Butterfly.
He seemed to notice where her mischievous eyes wandered because he coughed to bring her eyesight above his chest.
"See... Ladybug is a symbol. I admire her for that, but she's just that. A symbol. Just as she couldn't figure out who Hawkmoth was right until his end, she couldn't do anything to me. I mean, I'm operating openly for what, five solid months and they don't have a clue about whom I can be.
You on the other hand? You are different.
You are an adversary I feel adrenaline when playing this game. So while my friend makes yours busy, why don't just the two of us do what we do best?"
There. That's what set him apart from Hawkmoth, or any other cliche villain. There was not a pinch of hatred toward the heroine, in fact he sounded like he genuinely was impressed by her. That, or he was just so good at playing. Still, as the team's Illusionist she prided herself for being able to see the truth no matter how obstructed.
This however put her in precarious position as this new guy seemed to have some beef with her specifically.
Just as he walked closer, she took out her flute preparing to assault his senses with a solid A+ grade trip to fifth dimension.
"If you want it to be just us, then at least buy me a dinner first."
"What are you doing?" Talk about ruining the mood.
"Preparing for a fight, duh?"
"...I'm a very experienced fencer with a sword and a weight category over you, while you have a flute. You sure that you want a fight instead having a battle of minds, Rena Rouge?" Another scoff of disappointment is all her preparedness earned her.
"Battle of minds? What are we, Sherlock and Moriarty?"
"I don't dare to put myself on the same level as The James Moriarty, at least yet, I do think of two of us as a detective and an outlaw.
With all this magic, and miraculous, fighting is just about who has stronger one. That's not fair."
"Blah, blah, blah. Just say you're scared. I'll make you a deal if you're such a coward. Give me the butterfly miraculous and your identity remains a secret."
"I think that's the Public Hero in you speaking. I don't want a flashy celebrity, Rena, I want the one, who joys in discovering the truth, I want The Fox. It's not so funny when you don't lose anything or gain anything, so here my proposal.
I've hidden hostages somewhere around this block. Find them, you win and I give you the prize, one informant you really want." The cane lifted the lid of the container where a cursing man sat. "However! Should you fail to find them all? Heads will roll! There's the stakes, do you agree to play, or do you flee like a coward? Promise I'll let them go if you don't wanna play."
Wouldn't that be so easy. That's seems to be the thing with him, he's not just a villain. Villains don't give you the option to leave with just your dignity being stained, the make you pay, speaking of which...
"What will you gain if I fail? Seems like you just keep your man and that's it. Not really fair, is it?"
Now that got him to smile. She could've just played the game as is, but nooooo... some part of her just had to make everything FAIR.
"There's the mischievous Fox I like! How about.... a hint about your identity? Small one, wouldn't want to have all the fun in one go. A lead for a lead."
"... fuck, fine."
"What? Really?"
"You're the one who wanted it all to be fair. A lead for a lead. Let's go."
"O-o-okay? The timer starts now then. I'll be at the Mall roof bring them there."
With that the heroine set off looking for the hostages, which who could've guessed, were all corrupt officials. She should be mad, at him, at the situation, at the idea of loosing precious sleep for this, yet.... some part of her caught on fire when he dared her with a look. An intellectual predator against an intellectual predator.
She couldn't pass on that.
An equal rival? Who looks hot in his devious, lean frame enveloping suit? Yessir!!!
The Sass, The Banter, The Dynamic. These two are going to flirt while trying to kill eachother and they both will like it. Just imagine the embarrassment when Nathalie tries to have the "Foxes and the Butterflies" talk with him?
I also saw a Peacock Core video on Tiktok and it just clicked in my head that the reason Nathalie doesn't go out as Mayura often is because near Adrien she's no longer a femme fatale villainess, she's an anxious mama bird who's going to hide him under her coat/cape/feather thing.
Just Mayura Blob with Adrien's blonde head sticking out. Don't even try to come closer because she's honking and bites like a stationary goose. That's her baby!
One time she was fighting LB & Co. missed a kick and flew off into the wall. Adrien saw it through akuma and immediately was worried for her. She felt it.
Miraculous Instincts being part of their subconscious is apparently an Agreste family thing, so mid fight Mayura snapped her head in Adrien's direction, and just bolted away honking because oh no, my baby, all alone in that cold tower, scared. Wait, mama's coming!
Meanwhile the Miraculers are confused.
"I'm starting to see a pattern I don't like..."
"What pattern?"
"Remember Mr. Pigeon?"
"I wish I didn't... why?"
"He's a bird, and he's cooing all the time..."
"Right?"
"Mayura just ran away making noises I didn't think a peacock can make?"
"What re you leading to?"
"Let's just say that one time is an accident, two times is coincidence, amd three..." Viperion turned to Rooster Bold which Ladybug followed with horror filling her face.
"What?"
"...If you scream at ungodly hours of the morning, I'll make you into soup."
My headcanons for @moonfly7 's Aftermath/Metamorphosis AU
What I really liked is how it was described in "First encounter with Rena" post for the AU, that Ladybug and Pantheress/Panther Noir are perfect foils for Hawkmoth, with three of them matching eachother in ingenuity and ferocity respectively.
For Metamorphosis, a real counter is Rena and Rena only.
While Ladybug & Miraculers are busy duking it out with recent, not-just-a-fool flavoured akuma's, they aren't scary, playing with them is easy.
A lone holder who actually thinks with a cold head, now that's a threat.
Since Adrien is my favourite as Chat Noir, I think it's only fair that to keep up the appearances of being the villain (as if maiming scum is not enough) he's got to be threatening.
And what's more threatening than a holder, who despite having one of the weakest miraculous, one of supportive role, is able to fight with all the other holders at the same time into a stalemate?
While Adrien wasn't in school before his father's death, he still was friends with the heroes as Adrien. He doesn't know how it happened, but he just became this confidant for their troubles, a shoulder to cry on in hard times, kinda like how Luka does in canon. So he spent a lot of time watching over them, their fighting styles, heck, he even helped make/modify some.
That's why as Metamorphosis he's very dangerous and skilled fighter, he knows how to fight, and he knows how his enemies fight. Minotaurox is slow, so all he's got to do is move quickly. With Ryuko heavy hits tend to do the job, when fighting Ladybug, her body tells exactly where she's going to move her yo-yo. Others clearly never done any martial arts outside of being heroes.
So its scary when Hawkmoth Junior plays them like a fiddle, using their strengths to use on their own weaknesses. The only one who manages to fight with him evenly?
Rena Rouge.
She's also skilled, but flute in hands of the boxer is a bad weapon when compared to dual blades in the hands of the fencer, so with a flick when he's still surprised by her attack she sends their weapons to the floor and throws hands.
Except even here he's not without tricks, as the guy, it turns out, also knows karate.
Where Ladybug and Pantheress were perfect foils for Hawkmoth, Rena Rouge is the perfect foil for Metamorphosis.
I also think its obligatory to have her talk shit during the fight and for Morph to go "Turn on the adblock, Firefox!" to which she can just mutter a quiet "...motherfucker."
I reread the master post for this AU and noticed that Adrien wasn't in school prior to Gabe's death, so maybe after that he finally goes, except it turns out to be another battlefield where he fights with Alya, this time with grades. Just like in canon his relationship with Marinette begin from the gum incident, I think it's fair to believe that Chloe's friend, getting one, singular point more than the class's smartest girl in the first test is gonna create some bad blood.
Would be wonderful if Adrien starts to figure out that his new classmates are actually his superhero "friends" die to some members lack of secrecy, only so that when he mentions this to Nathalie, his mentor and caretaker (i.e. Mom) , she gives him Gabriel's notes which had everything but their names. We're talking school, class, character traits. Except what took Hawkmoth almost a year to figure out, took Adrien maybe three weeks.
With all that, it would be funny if during Lila arc Alya and Adrien (and Marinette, but this ain't about her) are the only ones who don't believe her, and quickly become friends when they realise how good they work together.
Where everyone listens to Chloe because her dad's the Mayor, everyone is afraid of Alya and Adrien because these two can scam the devil.
