Fanfic / Two Letters

Six months have passed since Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the heroine known as Ladybug who protected Paris from the vile Hawkmoth, realized she was at the end of her rope. She couldn't handle the unending akuma battles. The constant lies she had to tell her friends and family to explain her frequent absences and bizarre behavior. The civic leaders who wanted to exploit her. And the people who threw tantrums and got akumatized over the pettiest things—panthers, baking techniques, ice cream, even pigeons—again and again and again.

So she quit. She made a few preparations, wrote a letter to Luka so the one person she still cared about would know what had happened, and renounced her miraculous and her position as the Guardian forever.

But that was six months ago, and in the present day all Marinette wants to do now is enjoy a wonderful day with her boyfriend Luka while letting Paris's newest hero handle Hawkmoth for her. Sure, the new Ladybug isn't as upright as the old one. There's a few... idiosyncrasies... people have to watch out for. But she does the job. She makes sure Hawkmoth never wins. And even though Marinette doesn't especially like her, she's still happy the new one is there.

Besides. The new Ladybug might not be 'heroic' in the classic sense of the world. But Marinette knows she's exactly what the citizens of Paris deserve.

Two Letters is a Miraculous Ladybug Horror story by CartoonAddict564, who previously wrote The Karma of Lies. Two Letters is complete at 11 chapters.

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This fanfic contains examples of:

• Adaptational Jerkass: Played With. While Ladybug certainly seemed angry at her former partner and at some people who got akumatized (according to her first letter), it's unclear how much of her anger was actually justified by those people being jerks and how much was due to her being overwhelmed by the constant grind of battling akumas without end. Luka even notes that he doesn't agree with Marinette still being mad at her parents for getting akumatized over things Marinette thought were trivial.
• All for Nothing: Played With. After how hard everyone fought to protect the park during "Mega Leech", Luka is dismayed to see that many of the trees have been removed and areas cordoned off for construction, assuming that the Mayor broke his promise about not building the artificial-oxygen tower. However, Marinette points out a sign that reveals the real reason for the change: a massive monument is being installed to honor the new Ladybug.
• All Take and No Give:
  • How Marinette views the relationship Ladybug had with Paris. She was the Giver, always having to deal with Akumas while damaging her own emotional health because of the consequences that giving into rage or sadness could bring. She views most of Paris as the Taker, taking for granted that Ladybug will always save the day, being ungrateful that she hasn't done a better job and judging her harshly for her failures and some feeling justified if not entitled to being akumatized, for petty or trivial reasons no less, because Ladybug will handle it rather than recognize how dangerous that dynamic really is.
  • Luka believes that Marinette had been conditioned to treat all of her relationships in this fashion, to the point that when they first got back together, he had to convince her that she was allowed to make her own choices and suggestions instead of deferring to him for everything.
• Appeal to Worse Problems: Alix uses this argument to try to convince Marinette to take up the fight again.
• Asshole Victim: Deconstructed.
  • While Marinette's quiet glee at how people like Mayor Bourgeois and Bob Roth have suffered due to her retirement and replacement is understandable, she extends similar sentiments towards all of Paris — particularly those who were akumatized. This includes people who are perfectly nice, decent folks otherwise.
  • When discussing how the remaining Kubdels have disappeared, Marinette only expresses concern over one of the victims, declaring that she isn't worried about Jalil, aka LadybugSkeptic9000.
• As the Good Book Says...: When Luka sees the Agreste estate, he finds himself quoting Matthew 23:27 (which talks about how 'whitewashed tombs' look beautiful but contain only death and rot).
• Backhanded Apology: In her letter to Luka, Marinette recounts an incident where a freshly un-akumatized Xavier Ramier barely bothered to toss a 'sorry' her way while he headed over to the nearest cluster of pigeons to continue feeding the birds.
• Bad Future: Alix implies to Luka that this is what awaits for Paris if Lila continues acting as Ladybug.
• The Bad Guy Wins: In the end, Marinette — revealed to be a Villain Protagonist — succeeds in her plans and ends up happier than she's been in years, all while screwing over her former friends and Paris as a whole in the process.
• Bad Liar: Mayor Bourgeois is clearly sweating it out when he claims that the only reason why he wants to know the original Ladybug's Secret Identity is to thank her for her service and ensure that retirement is treating her well. It doesn't take long for him to fumble his way towards his true intentions.
• Batman Gambit: It turns out that Marinette's plan to retire and give her Miraculous to her former nemesis Lila Rossi wasn't just to find a replacement that could keep Paris safe from Hawkmoth, or even just to punish Paris by bringing in a Sketchy Successor. It was also to lure Bunnyx, AKA Alix Kubdel out into the open so Marinette could deal with her and not have to worry about interfering in the future, and to set up a Fidelity Test for her boyfriend Luka Couffaine to see if he would respect her position to no longer be a hero even when someone was causing problems in Paris.
• Be Careful What You Wish For:
  • Mayor Bourgeois wanted a Ladybug who could be bribed. He got exactly what he wanted with Marinette's successor - problem is, now he has to keep the money flowing enough to keep her happy, or else.
  • Theo wanted Ladybug to pay attention to him and his sculptures. He now has the interest of the new Ladybug after he was commissioned to complete a series of statues honoring her... and is terrified of how she might destroy his career if she isn't pleased with the results.
  • Nadja wanted a Ladybug who'd play along with her invasive, demanding questions about her personal life and relationships. The new Ladybug is more than happy to be interviewed by her every single day, gossiping about her life, showing off her latest boyfriend, and using Nadja's show as a way to shill herself and other products.
  • Veronique wanted to host an exhibit honoring various Ladybugs. She gets to do so now, but with a couple caveats — namely, it wasn't her exhibit, its creator has mysteriously disappeared, and the new Ladybug has already proposed her own changes to it.
  • Luka hoped that the exhibit spotlighting historical Ladybugs would offer some insight and shed some light on their current situation. To his horror, the common thread they discover is that all of the Ladybugs Mr. Kubdel researched were betrayed and murdered.
• Blatant Lies: Marinette's second letter, the one she wrote to herself, isn't strictly honest. In particular, she writes that she never came close to being akumatized, and that the Princess Justice incident specifically did not happen and was made up by Alya. This is, of course, not true.
• Bystander Syndrome: Now that she's retired, Marinette no longer feels responsible for dealing with akuma attacks. In fact, she's mainly worried that others might force her back into the role if they learn who she used to be.
• Cartesian Karma: Marinette came to resent people for getting akumatized over the pettiest of reasons, leading to her eventual retirement. She regards the new Ladybug as 'the hero Paris deserves'.
• Casual Danger Dialogue: Luka and Anarka are very chill when discussing how an akuma has taken over the Champs-Elysses.
• Chekhov's Gun: Chapter 1 makes mention of a ring that Luka bought for Marinette that she now cherishes. Chapter 11 reveals that pre-amnesia Marinette manipulated Luka into buying it so that he could give it back to her, and that it's actually the disguised Cat Miraculous.
• Convicted by Public Opinion: The new Ladybug wielded this expertly against Bob Roth; a stray remark she made during an interview about him "not supporting her" swiftly snowballed into a massive public outcry, with his reputation being utterly ruined and his record label falling apart as artists bailed out en masse.
• Corporate-Sponsored Superhero: One of the first clues that there's something off about the new Ladybug is Luka seeing sponsorship logos on her uniform.
• Cult of Personality: One surrounds the new Ladybug; part of the reason why all the businesses in Paris have banners declaring their support of her is because nobody wants to be seen as not supporting their beloved heroine.
• Deconstructed Character Archetype: The 'Saltinette' archetype (Marinette becoming even more of a jerk in response to the pressures of life and deciding to make everybody who is involved in putting her in said straits burn) gets some deconstruction. Luka, as a supporting boyfriend, accepts that Marinette was not completely unjustified in her decision, but nevertheless there is something very notably wrong about how she's acting and that her joy in seeing certain people squirm is, at the very least, unjustified and not ideal. In the end, it turns out that this particular example of Saltinette completely cracked and is Yandere for Luka, playing the archetype up to overkill levels.
• Deconstruction Fic:
  • Much like how The Karma of Lies critiques the concept of Adrien being 'perfect' and Protagonist-Centered Morality, this work picks apart how Marinette is constantly held up to impossible standards, with every episode featuring her 'making a mistake'/getting blamed for whatever went wrong. After two years of dealing with this, she ultimately reached her limit. The final chapter reveals that her experiences have driven her insane and to associate helping others with suffering. She decided that her happiness was the only thing that mattered.
  • Marinette was The Reliable One, who worked incredibly hard to be dependable. Rather than being recognized for this, she was taken for granted — everyone assumed that she'd always be around, protecting them from their problems. Adrien also exploited this, feeling free to screw around and focus on his Skewed Priorities as Chat Noir since he expected her to step up and take the responsibility he refused to. The plot is effectively set into motion when Marinette decides she's no longer able or willing to deal with that burden alone.
  • Several cliches common to the 'Saltinette' genre of Accusation Fics are also deconstructed. While Luka supports Marinette, he doesn't completely agree with or condone all of her bitterness. For instance, he feels like she might be judging her parents too harshly, and that she's not acknowledging how difficult it is to resist akumatization. He also admits that the glee she shows at the misfortune of those who wronged her in the past isn't ideal, even while still sympathizing with her and reassuring her that she's not a bad person.
  • In many salt fics, Marinette becomes furious at her friends for believing Lila's lies. Here, though, while Marinette is still very angry at some people like Alya, she makes it clear that—given her constant life-or-death battles against akumas—she really couldn't care less about something as trivial as people believing Lila's lies about having tinnitus or knowing celebrities. Instead, when she's angry at people, it's due to their akumatizations or their actions as miraculous users.
  • The Reveal of the final chapter, the titular second letter, turns the Fic into a Saltinette story played for horror, as it really showcases just how psychologically damaged Marinette has become.
• Disappointed by the Motive: Given how desperately Marinette was trying to avoid getting akumatized herself, she feels this way about anyone who got akumatized over trivial, frivolous matters.
• Dismantled MacGuffin: This is the final fate of the Rabbit Miraculous. Chat Noir reduces it to a pile of powder, which Marinette divides into five equal portions that any prospective future user of the Rabbit Miraculous would need to possess a bare majority of in order to wield it. She takes one portion for herself, gives one each to Lila, Felix, and the Order of the Guardians, and dumps the fifth in the ocean. This means that she can team up with the "heroes" if the Rabbit Miraculous' powers are needed, and if one of them goes rogue they can turn to the Order.
• Disproportionate Retribution: The final reveal of the fic basically redefines the term! After the pressure of being Ladybug finally made Marinette snap, she came to believe that literally everyone in Paris had betrayed her- by taking her for granted, failing to support her against her many enemies, or even just by being akumatized! Thus, she decided to get revenge on the whole city by giving her superpowers to Lila, while knowing full well that her “replacement” would use them for a Monster Protection Racket! Meanwhile, Marinette would enjoy her “happy ending” by watching and laughing at the fates of those who she especially hated. If anything should go wrong with the plan- such as Luka, her “one true love” falling out of love with her, Plan B is to use the Wish to wipe out the entire reality so she could get a Luka that she deserved!
• Downer Ending: The titular second letter supplies a huge reveal and turns Marinette into a Villain Protagonist. And Paris is stuck with the terror that is Lila Rossi as Ladybug. And as for Luka, he better hope that his discomfort at Marinette having No Sympathy for the others doesn't makes her mad, because she is a Yandere.
• Dramatic Irony: Several characters approach Luka, citing rumors that he might know who the original Ladybug is and wishing for help tracking her down... while blissfully unaware the girl they're searching for is right there beside them.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: After two years as Ladybug, Marinette felt that nobody really respected her, particularly since her efforts to build up greater defenses against Hawkmoth were completely dismissed and ignored.
• Entitled Bastard:
  • Marinette came to see the majority of Paris this way, as they were taking Ladybug's efforts to protect them completely for granted. She came to suspect that some even felt entitled to being akumatized, assuming that she'd always be around to save them from themselves.
  • Chat Noir felt entitled to his partner's 'love', and took advantage of their circumstances to constantly harass her.
  • Even after how poorly they treated her, both Mayor Bourgeois and Nadja declare that the original Ladybug will have to help them if they track her down, because "she's a hero" and that's what heroes do.
• Everyone Has Standards: While Marinette is angry with people who got akumatized, there are a few specific akumatizations that she notably declined to condemn people for.
  • She condemned her parents for getting akumatized over her dating life and whether she should get a motorcycle, but did not condemn her mother for being akumatized over being falsely arrested by a ticket inspector.
  • Similarly, she called out Alya for the Oblivio and Lady Wifi incidents, but didn't condemn her for becoming Rena Rage—possibly because she's willing to attribute that one to Dark Cupid, who had magically corrupted Alya at the time.
  • She also harshly criticized Nino for all of his akumatizations except for Shell Shock, possibly for a similar reason as above.
  • She blamed Kagami for being Riposte, but didn't condemn her for becoming Lies and Oni-Chan. The exact reason why was never said, but based on comments in her first letter complaining of Chat Noir emotionally manipulating her in some way; she may feel sympathy for Kagami becoming angry over Adrien and Lila manipulating her emotions.
  • And she's notably refused to condemn any of Luka's akumatizations, because he was akumatized when he saw how badly Marinette was suffering, which Marinette finds to be forgivable.
• Heroism Won't Pay the Bills: Ladybug was never recompensated for her service. Nor was the Mayor willing to fund any of her suggestions to help prevent akumas, not even the most inexpensive programs she could come up with.
• Holding Out for a Hero: Deconstructed; one of the major factors contributing to Marinette's mental state is how much people assumed she would fix everything for them, doing nothing to help her fight Hawkmoth. Even Alix falls into this trap, convinced that the best way to deal with the new Ladybug is to force the old one out of retirement.
• How We Got Here: The story opens six months after Marinette's retirement, cutting back and forth between scenes in the present day and the letters she wrote to explain how things reached this point.
• Ideal Hero: Deconstructed.
  • As Ladybug, Marinette was held to impossibly high standards that nobody else — even her partner Chat Noir — was expected to match. Blamed for everything that went wrong and expected to keep fighting forever because "that's what heroes do", she eventually cracked under the pressure and retired. And took extreme measures to ensure she could retire, along with punishing those who took her for granted... and everyone else as well.
  • Throughout the story, several of those Marinette and Luka speak to act surprised by the notion that their callous treatment of Ladybug actually hurt their heroine, much less that she might refuse to return as a result. This implies that they didn't see her as a person so much as a 'hero' — somebody compelled to help and protect them no matter what. This includes Alya, Adrien, and Alix, who outright calls her a "selfish bitch" for retiring.
• Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Each chapter is named after a key line from the section of the letter that's included within it.
• Internal Reveal: Marinette's letter to Luka starts off with a confession that she's been Ladybug for two years and counting, "and I want out."
• In-Universe Catharsis: Deconstructed. One of the overarching themes of the story is that Marinette's desire for catharsis has eclipsed her better judgment; her desire to see those who have been utter Jerkasses and Entitled, Ungrateful Bastards blinds her to how much everyone is suffering.
• Keeping Secrets Sucks: Maintaining her Secret Identity took a heavy toll on Marinette's social life, as she was forced to constantly run off to face akumas while making excuses to her friends and family about 'flaking out', missing out on plans and breaking promises.
• Laser-Guided Amnesia: Renouncing her guardianship erased all of Marinette's memories specifically related to being Ladybug, as well as everything involving the Miraculouses. However, she retained memories of the mundane, civilian side of her life, along with some vague impressions of her time as a superheroine.
• Laser-Guided Karma:
  • Mayor Bourgeois ignored all of Ladybug's policy proposals (like offering free therapy and anger management classes to Parisians to help prevent akumas) and never paid her for her services. The closest he ever came was trying to bribe her to endorse him. The new Ladybug is happy to give him everything he wants — but is also willing to support his rivals if they pay more, forcing Bourgeois and his cronies to pay up. And keep paying up, as the cost keeps rising. And as he knows thanks to Bob Roth, not paying the new Ladybug is a very risky move.
  • Bob Roth assumed that the new Ladybug would continue protecting him even if he didn't fork out the cash she was asking for. Technically, he was right — she saved him from a disgruntled employee who got akumatized when he didn't pay them, either. But then she turned around and told Paris that he "didn't support her", wrecking his reputation and causing his record label to completely collapse.
  • Gabriel Agreste has been dead for three months. His funeral was crashed by none other than Gigantitan, his body left lying in a shattered coffin while Ladybug battled the akuma. On top of that, a sentimonster turned him into a zombie.
  • Nadja Chamack harassed the old Ladybug for the sake of getting cheap rating boosts at her expense. The new Ladybug has proven to be ratings gold — but serving as her microphone and mouthpiece has completely destroyed Nadja's reputation outside of Paris. She's seen as nothing more than one of Ladybug's Paparazzi shills, and can't get a job other than the one she currently holds at her station... where she can't do anything to expose the stories she knows are out there.
  • Alya Cesaire had several bad tendencies: her impulsiveness, Theory Tunnelvision, and Going for the Big Scoop without considering any potential consequences, as well as brushing off said consequences and insisting they weren't her fault and were "no big deal." After Marinette's retirement, all of these caught up with her when she started prying into the new Ladybug, culminating in her crashing an akuma battle while disguised as Chat Noir as part of a half-baked plan to expose her. Instead, the new Ladybug was seemingly injured protecting her, then gave an impassioned speech about not getting involved in fights 'just to get clips for social media'. Without Marinette around to shield her from the fallout, Alya 'self-destructed'.
• Let Me at Him!: During the confrontation at the Eiffel Tower, when Alix calls Marinette a "selfish bitch" for wanting out of her duties as Ladybug, Marinette has to physically restrain Luka from taking a swing at them.
• The Masquerade Will Kill Your Dating Life: It certainly hampered Marinette's relationship with Luka. One of the reasons she's so pissed off at Alya in particular is that Alya broke the masquerade and told Nino that she was still active as Rena Furtive the moment she saw that was stressing their relationship, scant weeks after she'd become a permanent hero, while Marinette had dealt with how being Ladybug strained all her bonds for significantly longer.
• Memory Gambit: Marinette took advantage of the fact that she would lose huge swaths of her memory when she retired. Her Note to Self reveals that she lied to herself that she was never almost akumatized which explains her behavior further.
• The Millstone: Adrien's tendency to treat being Chat Noir as a way to be freed from his responsibilities rather than taking his duties as a superhero seriously is repeatedly discussed. Ultimately, Luka concludes that it's hardly surprising that Marinette concluded that it was better for him to lose the Ring, and that her successor would benefit more from his absence than his presence.
• Note to Self: The second letter is one Marinette wrote for herself.
• Not Your Problem: Luka tells Marinette she shouldn't worry about the fashion model akuma since there's a new Ladybug.
• Once Done, Never Forgotten: Marinette still blames (almost) everyone for what they did as akuma, even good people who only slipped up and got akumatized once. She even sometimes refers to people by their akuma names instead of their actual names, calling Nadja "Miss Prime Queen" in conversation to Luka and calling Gabriel "The Collector" to Alya. The final chapter, which shows us Marinette's thoughts for the first time, reveals she mentally refers to almost everyone around her by their akuma names.
• Only Sane Man: Luka is far and away the most level-headed member of the cast, trying to support Marinette through the pain she's going through while also being disturbed by some of her more vindictive moments.
• Opportunistic Bastard:
  • Chat Noir took advantage of his position to screw around and do whatever he pleased, knowing that Ladybug couldn't do anything to stop him. After all, she had to be the professional one and keep her emotions in check, while he was free to be The Load, even dipping into The Millstone at times to punish her for not catering to his whims.
  • Several citizens saw nothing wrong with letting themselves be akumatized, assuming that Ladybug would save them and erase the fallout of their actions. In her letter to Luka, Marinette specifically calls out Ramier for constantly getting turned back into Mister Pigeon, blowing off her pleas to get a therapist, take classes on anger management, or do something other than just repeatedly making deals with Hawkmoth.
• Protection Racket: The new Ladybug is running a variation on this, forcing the richest citizens of Paris to pay her off... and if they don't keep the money flowing in, she'll ensure their downfall. Bob Roth stopped paying her off and paid the price for it.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
  • Marinette gives one to Mayor Bourgeois under the guise of reaffirming how much he prefers the new Ladybug to the old one, calling him out on his failure to support the original or do anything about his Spoiled Brat of a daughter:
    Marinette: And besides, even if the mayor did want to replace her, it certainly wouldn't be with the old one. I mean, as much as he loves this new Ladybug and wants her to stay forever, he hated the previous Ladybug even more.
    Bourgeois: Well—
    Marinette: Like, remember that time when the Grevin Museum made an exhibit in honor of the old Ladybug? At that time, Mayor Bourgeois thought the old Ladybug was terrible and couldn't provide a good message of hope. That's why he shuttered the exhibit, and then closed the whole museum with a fake health inspector report when the curator complained.
    Bourgeois: That was at the urging of my daughter. I have nothing but respect for—
    Marinette: According to archives of the Ladyblog, you also dismissed the old Ladybug whenever she asked you for help. Wasn't there a time when she advised you to spend some money on shelters so people could hide and avoid being killed or brainwashed by random akumas? Or when she told you that your expensive vanity projects, like bulldozing a skating rink to build a private gym or spending millions of taxpayer euros on shooting dumpsters into space, would make people angry that their money was being squandered and thus cause more akumatizations? Or when she suggested that you provide free anger management classes and therapists to the populace so that people could resist Hawkmoth better?
    Bourgeois: The Ladyblog is hardly a reliable source! You shouldn't just believe the words of a disgraced—
    Marinette: [smiling icily] And of course, there's all the times your daughter bullied her classmates. She ripped up Rose's love letter, locked Juleka in the bathroom, sent Mylene running away in tears, humiliated Kim when he asked her out... she's responsible for more akumas than anyone else! But when Ladybug warned you about that and begged you to get her under control, or failing that, to pull her out of school and keep her isolated so she couldn't antagonize people, you dismissed her. You made perfectly clear that you didn't care at all about your daughter's behavior, because you knew the old Ladybug fixed any problems her tantrums caused. No, I think it's obvious you had no respect for her. [shrugs] Even if you got in touch with her, I think we all know she wouldn't come back.
  • She calls out Nadja in a similar fashion, remarking on how much she pried into the original Ladybug's personal life, as well as how she insulted and belittled her, including laughing with her successor about how much the original sucked during their very first interview. She also puts a faux-positive spin on this by reminding her how much she cared about ratings over all else, calling the new Ladybug 'ratings gold'.
  • Alya is taken to task for how she betrayed Marinette's trust, especially by letting Nino know that she was Rena Furtive just weeks after she was made a permanent hero, ignoring how that risked not only her secret identity, but Marinette's by proxy...
  • Adrien gets one when Marinette explains to him just why she helped Ladybug take the Black Cat Ring away, coupled with calling him out for being a Casanova Wannabe who only took an interest in her once she'd given up her crush on him.
• Recursive Fanfiction:
  • Face The Truth is a short sequel in which Lila manages to akumatize Luka into Truth and has him force Marinette to admit what she did.
  • Weight Off Your Shoulder is a version of this premise that doesn't play it for horror.
• The Resenter:
  • Ladybug's first letter reveals that, over time, she grew to resent people who were akumatized, especially those who had it happen multiple times or for reasons that Ladybug thought were stupid or petty. The present-day segments indicate that Marinette still holds a grudge against even good people like her parents (for getting akumatized over Tom wanting Chat Noir to date her and an argument over whether Marinette should get a motorcycle) and Kagami (for getting akumatized over Marinette making a bad call in a fencing match).
  • Avian God also known as Felix Fathom seems to have some of this too, saying that 'it was a pleasure' to send a sentimonster to wreck the funeral of Gabriel Agreste.
• Running Theme:
  • Choice. Marinette is constantly told that Ladybug has no choice but to return and save everyone because "she's a hero, and that's what heroes do". The only one who tells her otherwise is Luka, and she secretly arranged matters to test whether or not he'd continue respecting her agency no matter what.
  • Betrayal is another major theme. Much of Marinette's resentment stems from how her expectations of others were constantly betrayed, such as her giving so much of herself and receiving nothing in return or more personal betrayals like Chat Noir being an awful 'partner' or Alya telling Nino about Rena Furtive. This fuels her paranoia that Luka might betray her trust by turning against her. Some also act as though Ladybug betrayed them by retiring, passing the Earrings to her Sketchy Successor.
• Saying Too Much: While trying to defend his unraveling lies, Mayor Bourgeois declares "Even I don't have unlimited resources." This jogs Luka's memory, getting him to realize that the rumors about the new Ladybug charging people to save the city might be legitimate.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Mayor Bourgeois apparently heard a rumor that Luka might know who the original Ladybug was, and attempts to bribe him into spilling her secret by offering to help him and his family out with his wealth and connections.
• Secret-Keeper: The first of Marinette's letters involved confessing her Secret Identity to Luka, along with confessing to him that she was tired of being Ladybug and was giving it up.
• Self-Care Epiphany: One of the major reasons Marinette gives up her role is that while all of Paris has come to rely on and take her for granted where Hawkmoth is concerned, she can't even allow herself a single moment of sadness or rage because it would be a guaranteed victory for the terrorist. And she just can't put up with it anymore.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: Marinette has clearly been deeply traumatized by her two years as Ladybug, to the point Luka compares her to a soldier retreating from battle because she's just too badly wounded to continue fighting.
• Sketchy Successor: Played With; while the new Ladybug has built up quite the following, it's also quickly made clear that she's not as morally upstanding as Marinette used to be, and is happily taking advantage of her new position.
• Stopped Caring: Marinette had previously fought hard to protect the Place des Vosges from being razed for one of Mayor Bourgeois's vanity projects. After retiring, though, Marinette seems unperturbed—and, in fact, amused—when she tells Luka it's being destroyed to make a monument for the new Ladybug.
• The Summation: Chapter 10 has Luka dramatically explain everything about Marinette's plan and how the new Ladybug and Chat Noir fit into everything.
• Superior Successor: Zigzagged. The new Ladybug is a far better fighter than Marinette was. This is because Lila simply doesn't have the responsibilities Marinette does, and can devote all of her time and energy to superhero work, plus her ruthless nature lets her fight in ways Marinette would have balked at. However, she's far less moral in return.
• Take This Job and Shove It: The whole plot is kicked off by Marinette's decision to resign as Ladybug, picking up six months after her retirement.
• This Is Unforgivable!: Even with her Miraculous-related memories missing, Marinette knows that Alya betrayed her in some way she finds utterly unforgivable. Much to Alya's incomprehension. Eventually, it's revealed that she's referring to how Alya told Nino she was Rena Furtive, risking Hawkmoth learning that the next time he akumatized them... all because she couldn't handle keeping him Locked Out of the Loop for more than a couple weeks. All while Marinette had borne that burden for over a year and a half before trusting her to be her Secret-Keeper.
• Two Halves Make a Plot: The titular two letters. The first one, which we read in small parts through the chapters, is addressed to Luka explaining why Marinette decided to quit. The second letter, which we read in the last chapter, is Marinette's Note to Self^note or more like "villainous gloating" written before she quit being a Guardian and endured Laser-Guided Amnesia. If we thought she was a bit lacking in empathy about the new Ladybug situation before, oooh, boy, we hadn't seen nothing yet.
• Ungrateful Bastard: A major reason why Marinette gave up being Ladybug is because she was judged incredibly harshly for each of her mistakes, while the countless times she saved and protected Paris were taken completely for granted. This isn't simply a matter of her losing Miraculouses to Hawkmoth, either; she's taken heat for things like 'taking too long' to defeat akumas, or letting damage pile up too much, despite how her Miraculous Cure fixed things afterwards.
• Villain with Good Publicity: The new Ladybug is a competent heroine, but also a crafty one who's more than happy to use her position as the beloved protector of Paris to Blackmail its richest citizens into paying her for her services. If they don't pay up, then she can destroy their reputations by just making a remark in passing at the right time...
• Wham Line:
  • While discussing recent akumas during Chapter 4, Marinette brings up how Gigantitan attacked during Gabriel Agreste's funeral.
  • The second of the titular two letters, revealed in the final chapter, is essentially a Wham Speech: it reveals how Marinette completely snapped, gave the Ladybug Miraculous to Lila Rossi, removed all other Miraculous holders from the playing board to make sure that no one could mess with what she set up or try and lure to her take action against Lila (especially Bunnyx with her capacity to time travel), and her love of Luka? She is a Yandere no better than Gabriel Agreste with Emilie. One reviewer even said that "Hello, Zepp" would be appropriate background music for the scene.
• Where It All Began: The final confrontation takes place at the Eiffel Tower, the location of Ladybug and Chat Noir's very first battle against Stoneheart.
• Who Watches the Watchmen?: Inverted. As part of her revenge scheme, Marinette made sure to remove all the other heroic Miraculous holders from the playing board so Lila (and Felix as her designated opponent) would remain unopposed, even outright destroying the Rabbit Miraculous. As for Marinette herself, she is perfectly okay with it all once she discovers it.
• With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: Alix believes Marinette has a duty to protect Paris. Marinette disagrees. Vehemently. The story generally deconstructs this attitude by showing what happens when the superhero in question takes on more responsibility than they can handle, by showing the disastrous effects it has on Marinette's psyche.
• Yandere: Chapter 4 has started to show Marinette making statements indicating that, if something bad happened to Luka or if he dumped her, she would react... badly. Chapter 11 reveals how badly. She would use the Wish power of the Miraculouses to destroy the world and build another where Luka would be her perfect, loving boyfriend forever.
• You Know What You Did:
  • Subverted. Marinette drops this line on Alya when the latter demands to know why Marinette dumped her as a friend, but Luka convinces her that they need information Alya has and Marinette needs to communicate, even if that means spelling out what should be completely obvious.
  • Adrien treats Marinette in much the same fashion when they visit him. Again, he's ultimately convinced to explain just what the problem is when she calls him out on not kicking them out already; he clearly wants closure, and unless he spills just what he's so upset about right then and there, she'll walk out and deny him any chance of getting what he wants from her.

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