My Abandoned Fanfiction Idea — Anyone Can Take It If They Want
I got this idea after reading a fanfic on Wattpad that genuinely pissed me off because of how drastically it changed the characters' personalities. It basically erased all of Marinette's positive qualities while exaggerating every single one of her flaws, all while doing almost the exact opposite with Chloé. I'm not going to mention the name of the fic because I don't want to cause any unnecessary drama or send hate toward the author.
Fanfiction Premise
Basically, a fan of Miraculous Ladybug gets reincarnated into the series as an original character. The problem is that she absolutely despises Marinette.
Back in her original life, she considered Marinette a “Mary Sue” who constantly had everything handed to her by the narrative. She hated her so much that, after realizing where she had reincarnated, she decided that she would take everything Marinette was supposed to have.
Her role as Ladybug. Her friendships. Her popularity. Her opportunities. Even Adrien.
As a way of mocking Marinette, she even chose a similar name for herself: Lynette.
The irony is that, while Lynette constantly complains about Marinette being a Mary Sue, she actively tries to turn herself into one by using her knowledge of canon to make herself the center of the story.
Her first major move is stealing the Ladybug Miraculous.
Knowing about Master Fu’s test, Lynette deliberately positions herself so that she can save him from the incoming car before Marinette gets the chance. Because of this, Fu chooses Lynette instead, and she becomes the new holder of the Ladybug Miraculous under the superhero identity Scarlet Lady.
But Lynette doesn’t stop there.
She knows that Alya was supposed to become Marinette’s best friend, so she befriends Alya first. On their first day of school, when Chloé begins arguing with Marinette over her seat, Lynette intervenes and publicly defends Marinette. However, she isn’t doing it because she cares about her. She wants to make herself look kind and heroic in front of the class while preventing Marinette and Alya from bonding the way they did in canon.
Chloé still refuses to give Marinette her seat back, so Lynette and Alya end up taking the seats that originally belonged to Chloé and Sabrina, while Marinette is forced to sit toward the back of the classroom.
It seems like a small change, but it completely alters Marinette’s life.
Without Alya encouraging her, Marinette never develops the same confidence she had in canon. She remains shy, introverted, and insecure, rarely standing up for herself. Worse, Lynette subtly interferes whenever Marinette gets an opportunity to become closer to someone.
Then Stoneheart happens.
Because Lynette remembers the events of canon, she already knows how to defeat him. She and Chat Noir win relatively easily, but Lynette deliberately allows the akuma to escape because she knows what is supposed to happen next and wants events to remain close enough to canon for her knowledge to stay useful.
The following day, Adrien arrives at school.
Chloé, angry at Lynette for embarrassing her earlier, decides to put gum on Lynette’s seat. Adrien catches her and tries to remove it before Lynette arrives.
Unfortunately—or rather, fortunately for Lynette—she and Alya enter the classroom while Adrien is standing beside the gum.
Lynette immediately understands what happened.
She knows Adrien didn't put it there.
But she also remembers the umbrella scene from canon and realizes that this is the perfect opportunity to recreate Marinette and Adrien’s original misunderstanding, except with herself in Marinette’s place.
So she pretends to believe Adrien did it.
Marinette enters shortly afterward and witnesses the situation as well. Unlike Lynette, however, she genuinely believes Adrien was responsible. Since Adrien is Chloé’s childhood friend, Marinette assumes he must be similar to her.
Then Paris begins turning into Stonehearts.
Before transforming, Lynette deliberately acts uncertain about whether she deserves to be Ladybug. She expresses doubts in front of Tikki, knowing that Tikki will reassure her. Lynette essentially manipulates Tikki into becoming even more emotionally attached to her by pretending to struggle with insecurities she doesn't actually have.
Thanks to her knowledge of canon, Scarlet Lady and Chat Noir defeat Stoneheart again and successfully purify the akuma.
From there, most events happen similarly to canon, except Lynette continuously takes Marinette’s place whenever possible.
The biggest early example is the umbrella scene.
When Adrien approaches Lynette and explains what really happened with the gum, she accepts his apology. Unlike Marinette, however, Lynette isn't shy or overwhelmed. When Adrien gives her the umbrella, Lynette confidently kisses him on the cheek before leaving.
That moment becomes the beginning of Adrien's crush on her.
From then on, Lynette systematically takes advantage of every opportunity she remembers Marinette receiving in canon.
But there is one person Lynette is far more cautious around.
Lila Rossi.
Lynette knows exactly what Lila is capable of when she considers someone an enemy. Because of that, she decides not to publicly confront her lies.
Of course, Lynette would never admit that she's afraid of Lila.
Instead, she convinces herself that she's simply being “smart” and waiting until she has enough evidence to expose her properly.
In reality, she's terrified of becoming Lila's target.
And ironically, Lynette's decision to stay out of Lila's way creates the first genuine friendship Marinette has had in a long time.
Lynette
Personality: Manipulative, prideful, hypocritical, attention-seeking, calculating, and extremely concerned with how other people perceive her.
Lynette desperately wants to see herself as the hero of the story. She constantly rationalizes her actions, convincing herself that Marinette deserves what happens to her because she supposedly had everything handed to her in canon.
She rarely considers herself cruel. In her mind, she's simply “correcting” the story.
The biggest irony is that Lynette hated Marinette for supposedly being a Mary Sue, yet Lynette uses future knowledge to manufacture a life where everyone loves her, she always knows the correct answer, and she receives almost every important opportunity.
Lynette → Marinette
Lynette despises Marinette.
She enjoys seeing Marinette isolated because, to her, it's proof that Marinette was never special without the advantages canon gave her.
Whenever Marinette gets close to making a friend or accomplishing something important, Lynette feels compelled to interfere. Sometimes she does this consciously; other times, she has become so accustomed to competing with Marinette that she does it almost automatically.
What Lynette refuses to acknowledge is that she's obsessed with Marinette.
Even after successfully taking almost everything from her, Lynette continues watching her, comparing herself to her, and becoming irritated whenever Marinette manages to be happy without her.
Lynette → Adrien
Lynette initially sees Adrien more as a prize and a useful connection than as a genuine romantic interest.
Even though Marinette never falls in love with Adrien in this timeline because she never experiences the umbrella scene with him, Lynette still wants Adrien because he was “supposed” to belong to Marinette.
There's also the fact that he's Gabriel Agreste's son and therefore an incredibly valuable connection for someone interested in popularity, fashion, and social status.
Over time, Lynette may develop genuine feelings for him, but they're mixed with possessiveness and the satisfaction of knowing that she successfully took Marinette's original love interest.
Lynette → Alya
Lynette pretends Alya is her best friend.
She enjoys Alya's company to some extent, but the relationship is fundamentally selfish. Lynette knows Alya will eventually create the Ladyblog, so she deliberately encourages her obsession with Scarlet Lady.
Having her own best friend unknowingly run a blog dedicated to praising her superhero identity is perfect for Lynette.
Alya thinks their friendship is genuine.
Lynette sees Alya as a friend, supporter, and publicity machine all at once.
Lynette → Lila
Lynette is afraid of Lila.
She knows how manipulative and vindictive Lila can become when someone threatens her lies. Unlike Marinette, Lynette has no desire to become Lila's enemy unless she's absolutely certain she can win.
She tells herself that she's simply gathering evidence.
Deep down, she knows she's being a coward.
Marinette
Personality: Shy, introverted, kind, creative, insecure, and increasingly withdrawn.
This Marinette never receives many of the experiences that helped her become more confident in canon. She doesn't become Ladybug, Alya never becomes her best friend, and she doesn't fall in love with Adrien.
As a result, Marinette remains much closer to the insecure girl she was at the beginning of the series.
Marinette → Lynette
At first, Marinette genuinely likes Lynette.
Lynette defended her against Chloé, after all. Marinette initially believes she's kind and wishes she could become friends with her.
But gradually, Marinette begins noticing something strange.
Whenever she gets an opportunity to make friends, Lynette somehow interferes.
Whenever Marinette might receive recognition for something, Lynette somehow ends up receiving it instead.
Whenever Marinette begins getting close to someone, Lynette appears.
Eventually, Marinette starts wondering whether Lynette actually dislikes her.
But because everyone else loves Lynette, Marinette assumes she must be imagining things.
Why would someone as nice as Lynette hate me?
That thought only makes Marinette more insecure.
Marinette → Adrien
Marinette initially believes Adrien is similar to Chloé because of the gum incident.
Over time, however, she realizes that she misjudged him and that Adrien is actually a genuinely kind person.
Still, she never develops romantic feelings for him.
They're classmates who occasionally speak to each other, but little more.
Marinette → Alya
Marinette doesn't interact with Alya very often, but she initially respects her and thinks she's a good person.
Things change when Lila arrives.
Marinette quickly realizes that several of Lila's stories don't make sense. When she sees Alya publishing Lila's claims on the Ladyblog without properly checking them, Marinette becomes worried.
Knowing that Alya dreams of becoming a professional journalist, Marinette tries to warn her.
Instead of listening, Alya assumes Marinette is jealous.
She tells Marinette that she needs to stop being jealous of Lila and Lynette simply because they're popular.
That hurts Marinette far more than Alya realizes.
Marinette had genuinely been trying to help her.
The incident reinforces Marinette's belief that maybe she really is the problem.
Marinette → Lila
At first, Marinette doesn't particularly like Lila.
She can tell that Lila lies constantly, and because the only available seat is beside Marinette, the two are forced to sit together.
But something unexpected happens.
Lila actually talks to her.
Not because she's Scarlet Lady.
Not because she's popular.
Not because she wants something from Marinette's parents.
She simply talks to her.
At first, Lila tells Marinette the same exaggerated stories she tells everyone else. Marinette knows they're lies, but unlike everyone else, she doesn't confront her.
Eventually, Marinette starts noticing the person underneath them.
One day, she finally tells Lila:
“You know, you don't have to pretend to be someone you're not. I think the real you is perfectly fine the way she is.”
And Lila completely short-circuits.
Because nobody was supposed to say that.
Marinette was supposed to either believe her lies or hate her for them.
Instead, Marinette knows she's lying and still wants to know her.
From there, Marinette slowly begins developing feelings for Lila.
And, much to Lila's horror, the feelings eventually become mutual.
Yes, I ship Lilanette. Bite me.
Adrien
Personality: Mostly the same as canon.
Adrien → Lynette
Adrien believes Lynette is a genuinely good person.
After their misunderstanding with the gum and the umbrella incident afterward, he gradually develops a crush on her.
Unfortunately, he has no idea how much of their relationship has been deliberately engineered by Lynette.
Adrien → Scarlet Lady
Adrien has a massive crush on Scarlet Lady.
Unfortunately for him, Scarlet Lady treats Chat Noir similarly to how Ladybug treated him in canon: she appreciates him as a partner but repeatedly rejects his flirting and romantic advances.
The difference is that Lynette secretly enjoys the attention far more than she admits.
Adrien → Alya
Adrien mainly interacts with Alya because of Lynette and Nino.
He considers her energetic and nice.
Adrien → Marinette
Adrien thinks Marinette seems like a nice girl, although he notices that she's extremely quiet and usually alone.
He occasionally feels bad for her, but because they rarely interact, he doesn't understand just how isolated she actually feels.
Adrien → Lila
Adrien dislikes Lila's habit of lying but believes she could eventually change.
He doesn't consider her evil and hopes that, with enough patience, she'll become a better person.
Alya
Personality: Mostly the same as canon, although her flaws are more pronounced because Marinette isn't around to balance her out.
Alya → Lynette
Alya considers Lynette her best friend.
She trusts her almost completely and genuinely believes Lynette is one of the nicest people she knows.
She has absolutely no idea that Lynette is Scarlet Lady.
Alya → Adrien
Alya aggressively ships Lynette and Adrien.
Every interaction between them is evidence as far as she's concerned.
Alya → Marinette
Alya feels somewhat sorry for Marinette because she always seems lonely.
However, after seeing Marinette's apparent problems with both Lynette and Lila, Alya begins assuming that Marinette's isolation is partially self-inflicted.
She convinces herself that Marinette is simply jealous of them.
In a way, this makes Alya feel less guilty about not reaching out to her.
Alya → Lila
Alya thinks Lila is amazing.
She believes most of her stories and loves having someone with so many supposedly incredible experiences as a source for her blog.
Lila
Personality: Mostly the same as canon: manipulative, dishonest, attention-seeking, intelligent, vindictive, and surprisingly perceptive when it comes to other manipulative people.
Lila → Lynette
Lila sees through Lynette almost immediately.
It takes a liar to recognize another liar.
While everyone else sees Lynette as this confident, kind, heroic girl, Lila notices the tiny inconsistencies in her behavior.
She notices how Lynette always needs attention.
She notices how Lynette subtly redirects conversations toward herself.
She notices how strangely satisfied Lynette looks whenever Marinette fails at something.
And she definitely notices how nervous Lynette becomes whenever Lila looks at her for slightly too long.
Lila finds it hilarious.
For perhaps the first time in her life, she has met someone who might actually be more hypocritical than she is.
The difference is that Lila knows she's a liar.
Lynette genuinely believes she's the good guy.
Lila → Adrien
Lila thinks Adrien is ridiculously naive.
She finds it almost painful that he can recognize that she lies but somehow fails to notice Lynette manipulating everyone directly in front of him.
She also finds his belief that everyone can become better incredibly childish.
Lila → Alya
Lila genuinely cannot believe someone this easy to manipulate wants to become a journalist.
Alya barely verifies anything she tells her.
Sometimes Lila is tempted to make her stories increasingly ridiculous just to discover where Alya's limit actually is.
She hasn't found it yet.
Lila → Marinette
Initially, Marinette is just convenient.
There are no other seats available, so Lila sits beside her.
Lila quickly realizes that Marinette doesn't believe most of her stories, but she doesn't consider her dangerous. Marinette has no proof, barely any friends, and none of the confidence necessary to publicly challenge her.
So Lila continues lying to her anyway.
At first, it's almost entertaining.
Then Marinette starts asking questions.
Not questions designed to expose her.
Questions about her.
What music does she actually like?
What does she do when she's at home?
What foods does she enjoy?
What does she want to do when she's older?
Lila isn't used to that.
She's used to people being interested in Lila Rossi, the girl who knows celebrities and travels around the world.
Marinette seems interested in Lila Rossi even when she knows half of those stories aren't true.
Then Marinette says the one thing Lila wasn't prepared to hear:
“You know, you don't have to pretend to be someone you're not. I think the real you is perfectly fine the way she is.”
And suddenly Lila has a problem.
Because she was supposed to manipulate Marinette.
She was supposed to use the lonely girl sitting beside her as another easy source of attention.
She was absolutely not supposed to develop a crush on her.
Yet somehow, while Lynette spends the entire story desperately trying to steal Marinette's “perfect life,” Lila ends up becoming one of the first people to genuinely care about the Marinette that Lynette left behind.