While Ladybug's away thanks to Marinette's needing to take a sick day, Scarabella steps up to take her place. But when Alya learns about the reality-altering wish that can be made when Earrings and Ring are combined, she immediately takes it upon herself to seize the opportunity that Marinette's so foolishly ignoring. After all, it's not like there's any good reason not to use the Wish, right?
Oh, there is? Yeah, right. How bad can a Wish as simple as knowing Hawkmoth's identity actually go? Heck, while she's at it, she'll be a good friend and generously wish for Marinette to be happy while she's at it.
But Alya's notion of what will make Marinette happy is very different from what Tikki has in mind.
Villain Of Your Own Story
is a Recursive Fanfiction inspired by The Lament Series by ChaoticNeutral. Specifically, it branches off from the planned Alya's Lament.
See also Recklessness, another recursive fic that takes a different spin on the concept of Alya making a Wish.
This fanfic contains examples of:
- Adaptational Villainy:
- In the new reality created by the Wish, Alya found the Butterfly Brooch and became Hawk Moth, while Adrien is her partner in crime.
- Played With in that Alya believes this happened to Lila, with reality being twisted so that Marinette's "baseless grudge" against her would be satisfied.
- Alternate Timeline: The Wish turned the reality into one.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: What Marinette tries to warn Alya of, only to be brushed aside, as the latter reasons that it will be impossible for the Wish to twist the meaning of to command so long as she keeps it simple.
- Blaming the Victim: Adrien mentally does this to Chloé's bullying victims, framing Chloé as the real victim in the debacle.
- Didn't Think This Through:
- Alya brushes away Marinette's concerns by claiming her Wish will be simple enough that it can't go wrong. Not only does she fail to consider how asking to know Hawk Moth's Secret Identity could be interpreted, she complicates it further by impulsively requesting that Marinette be happy, assuming that said happiness will take the form she expects it to.
- The Evil Plan of the alternate Alya (which she failed to see as evil) entailed becoming a fake supervillain in order to lure people with "better" Miraculous powers out of hiding, then steal their jewelry and become a hero herself. She didn't consider that she may be the only one who sees Hawk Moth's terrorism as fake, or how others might react to her intended theft and replacement.
- The first time she used the Brooch to transform, the alternate Alya barely hid in the school, and needed Adrien to point out how easily she could be caught.
- Downer Ending: For the alternate Alya that was native to the new reality. Around the same time that the original Alya made the Wish, she nearly akumatized her young sisters, triggering the realization that she's genuinely been the villain of her own story and that her only "friend" is just a bitter, cruel person that's using her as a pawn to torment other. This Alya vowed to change and turn herself in, hopefully making amends and possibly even earn Marinette's friendship... only to be functionally erased and replaced by the original Alya, who has none of her newfound clarity, and who decides to continue "playing" the villain to get her hands on the Miraculous and make a better wish, rendering her character development All for Nothing.
- Dramatic Irony:
- Adrien hates his classmates for getting Chloé into trouble, dismissing the stories they shared about her bullying as Malicious Slander even though they were telling the truth. Alya helped spread actual malicious slander at her old school, posting gossip and rumors online and getting into serious trouble for tarnishing the reputations of her innocent victims.
- After two years of trying and failing to steal the Ladybug and Cat, AU!Alya is frustrated enough that she'd be willing to settle for a 'lesser' Miraculous like the Fox. Not only is this another 'indirect' power like the Butterfly, it was the Miraculous that Ladybug trusted her with in the original world.
- The night before the switch took place, AU!Alya had realized her mistakes and planned to turn herself and Adrien in, only to be replaced with the Alya who'd made the Wish that created her world in the first place.
- Alya thinks the new Cat Miraculous holder is a 'fake' hero, completely unaware Black Feline is Marinette.
- Dramatically Missing the Point:
- When Marinette warns Alya that the Wish always comes with a terrible price, Alya declares that she'll just make a simple one that the magic can't possibly twist around, dismissing her friend as being too cautious.
- AU!Alya got into serious trouble for posting Malicious Slander online. She blames this on her 'sources' for not being trustworthy, ignoring the idea that as an aspiring investigative reporter, she should have investigated and verified their claims first.
- While she recognizes that Chloé's fate was Laser-Guided Karma, Alya refuses to consider that Lila's was as well... even though Marinette tried warning her that Lila was a liar, she thinks that reality retconned itself to make those accusations true.
- Epiphanic Prison: Like The Lament Series, the new reality serves as one for Alya. Were she to face and accept her mistakes, she could make the most of her circumstances and start anew with Marinette. Instead, her stubbornness and refusal to admit fault will ensure that she's trapped in a hell of her own making.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: AU!Alya as Hawk Moth refuses to turn her family members into Akumas. Her almost Akumatizing her younger sisters triggers the start of her Heel Realization.
- Even Evil Has Standards:
- AU!Alya balks at the idea of akumatizing her own family and young children, and is horrified when baby August ends up getting one of the butterflies by accident.
- While she justifies to herself that she is helping her Akuma victims take out their righteous vengeance, she finds her father’s reason for getting angry enough at the zoo panther being mocked to be petty.
- Exact Words:
- Alya Wishes to know Hawk Moth's Secret Identity, and winds up in a world where she became Hawk Moth after finding the Butterfly Brooch.
- She also Wishes for Marinette to 'have her worries lifted' and be happy. However, Tikki possesses some control over how the Wish is carried out, and a far more accurate picture of what will make Marinette happy than her 'bestie' does.
- When Alya asks Nooroo what his transformation phrase is, he responds "Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise." Alya fixates on the Dark aspect, wondering if that means the Brooch is always meant to be used for evil, when Nooroo was simply telling her how she activates it, as she's the one using it for evil purposes.
- Fatal Flaw:
- One of Alya's biggest problems is Making Assumptions. She ruined her reputation at her old school by trusting and spreading Malicious Slander rather than investigating or ignoring the rumors, and she falsely assumes that she knows better than Marinette and the Kwami in regards to making the Wish.
- Stubbornness and Inflexibility are other major vices of hers. Once she's decided something, she'll justify it to herself by any means necessary, blaming her problems on other sources.
- Foil:
- Marinette prioritized protecting Paris from Hawk Moth and minimizing damage, and did her best to be cautious. Alya is impulsive and assumes that she knows better than everyone else, and ultimately cares more about getting to play superhero than actually helping anyone.
- AU!Alya became Hawk Moth because she wanted a 'better' Miraculous for her 'heroic debut', and justifies her actions by claiming she's not really a villain and is actually helping her victims. Adrien has the more classic motivation of Revenge and fully recognizes the pain and anguish Hawk Moth is inflicting, taking vindictive glee in everyone's suffering.
- AU!Adrien effectively takes up the role of being the class bully in Chloé's absence (though Nathalie forces him not to engage with them directly), being an entitled rich blonde with no empathy for others. While Chloé was openly a Rich Bitch who got away with her bullying by virtue of her father's status, Adrien is a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing who manipulates others behind the scenes.
- For Want Of A Nail: In the altered timeline created by the Wish:
- The Agreste family only had the Peacock Miraculous, so Gabriel was forced to try and use it to create a new body for Emilie. This led to him falling into a coma, leaving Nathalie as Adrien's new guardian and revealing the truth about the Peacock Pin to her new charge.
- Alya finds the Butterfly Miraculous and decides to use it to get her hands on one with a more action-oriented power.
- Thanks to one of Chloé's antics becoming a major public incident thanks to choosing the son of her father’s opponent in a mayoral election which brought her incidents to light in the public, she was sent to a juvenile delinquent center, with Gabriel forbidding Adrien from having any further contact with her.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Tikki fully believes this to be true about Chloé; thinking that her absent mother and being coddled by her corrupt father and inept school system can only excuse so much of her behaviour.
- Gone Horribly Wrong: Played With; from Alya's perspective, the Wish went wonky, as it failed to grant her exactly what she wanted on her terms. In reality, while it didn't cater precisely to her whims, it gave her knowledge of Hawk Moth's identity and made Marinette much happier than she was in the original world.
- Heel–Face Door-Slam: AU!Alya was all set to turn herself in as Hawk Moth to Scarlet Bug and Black Feline on the day where she ended up being supplanted in her reality by the Alya that made the Wish.
- Heel Realization: AU!Alya ended up going through one causing her want to turn herself in the next day...which ended up being the day that the Alya who made the Wish supplanting her in her reality.
- Heroic Wannabe: AU!Alya desires the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous to become a superhero.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: Adrien takes this role towards Hawk Moth!Alya, counseling her to exercise more discretion with her Miraculous usage and providing her with a secure lair to use.
- I Reject Your Reality:
- Despite Alya reading about Lila's scandal, evidence included, she continues to believe that her False Friend was telling the truth, and that her being sent to reformation school is a big 'joke'.
- She also completely rejects the notion that the Wish worked for Marinette, as her happiness doesn't take the form Alya wanted it to take.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Platonic example: Tikki recognizes the part she played in Marinette's troubles, so when granting Alya's Wish, she pairs her off with Plagg as her partner instead.
- In Spite of a Nail: Adrien still ends up with a crush on Marinette's superhero alter ego, despite being at odds with them as Hawk Moth's secret partner.
- It's All About Me: The AU!Alya is extremely self-absorbed, terrorizing Paris just because she wants to play superhero, but not with the Transformation Trinket she already found.
- Ignored Epiphany: Despite seeing Marinette clearly happy and content, Alya rejects the idea that the magic granting the Wish understood her bestie's needs better than she does, insisting that Mari simply doesn't know any better and needs her help to be truly satisified.
- Jackass Genie: Played With; While Tikki can't control how the magic interprets the first half of Alya's Wish, she smirks in anticipation of ensuring that Marinette gets a Karmic Jackpot in the new reality. There's also no indication that Tikki disapproves of how Alya's Laser-Guided Karma plays out.
- Karma Houdini Warranty:
- AU!Alya got into serious trouble at her old school for her bad habit of Going for the Big Scoop and posting information online without doing any fact-checking or considering other potential consequences.
- Chloé's ran out in the new reality when one of her stunts on the wrong victim at the wrong time set off dominos that ended up landing her in serious legal trouble, sending her to juvie.
- Lila in this universe was caught via audio tape threatening a daughter of a celebrity who saw through her lies and was sent to reformation school.
- Moral Myopia: Adrien despises his classmates for how they supposedly 'slandered' Chloé, and sees nothing wrong with ruining their lives by making them miserable and having Alya exploit their moments of weakness.
- Never My Fault:
- AU!Alya blames her shoddy sources at her old school for getting her into trouble; if they hadn't given her bad information, she wouldn't have gotten into trouble for posting it online. The notion that she could have investigated rather than blindly trusting their word goes completely over her head.
- Similarly, Alya holds the cosmic forces that granted her Wish responsible for 'getting it wrong', rather than admitting that Marinette was right to be cautious and that she used that power carelessly.
- Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist:
- AU!Alya thinks that she is helping her Akumas get their revenge with them more as anti-heroes than actual villains; however, she is mostly concerned about getting the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous for her own ends.
- AU!Adrien believes that he's righteously avenging Chloé after her classmates dragged her name through the mud. Or that's how he justifies it to himself, anyway...
- Official Couple: In the altered reality, Marinette is dating both Luka and Nino.
- Only Friend: Adrien serves as this to Alya in the new reality.
- Reality Warping Is Not a Toy: Marinette understands this; Alya doesn't, and blithely uses the Wish for her own ends.
- Recursive Fanfiction: For the Lament Series.
- Role Swap AU: The new reality partially functions as such: Alya becomes Hawk Moth, while Adrien steps into the role of a substitute Nathalie/Lila and Marinette becomes the new Cat Heroine rather than remaining Ladybug.
- Shipper on Deck:
- Alya continues meddling in Marinette's love life in the new reality, to the point of ordering the first Akuma she makes after the shift to separate Marinette from her boyfriends.
- Part of the reason why Marinette ended up with both Luka and Nino in the new world is because of Tikki's influence... and inability to decide between the two.
- Shout-Out:
- Tikki directly compares Chloé to Syndrome from The Incredibles; Heroic Wannabe brats who turned into villains after blaming their former idols for the consequences of their own actions.
- Gabriel’s activities as Shadow Peacock are directly inspired by a story starring Finister in an Annual issue for Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (Boom! Studios).
- Start of Darkness:
- While she doesn't recognize it as such, AU!Alya's began when she took Malicious Slander at her old school seriously and posted them on her blog, landing in serious legal trouble. After her family moved, she then finds the Butterfly Brooch after accidentally stealing it from the Louvre and decides she wants to become a superheroine... but since Nooroo's powers aren't suited to direct confrontation, she aims to lure out 'better' Miraculous by playing the villain in hopes of claiming them for her own.
- Adrien's stems from Chloé's arrest, as he blames her victims for 'slandering' her and causing her legal troubles. This is combined with how his father fell into a coma courtesy of the Peacock Pin, leaving him in Nathalie's care and his future in doubt.
- Tabloid Melodrama: AU!Alya got into trouble at her old school for posting rumors and Malicious Slander on her news blog, presenting them as 'thrilling exposes' rather than unverified gossip.
- Tempting Fate:
- All of Alya's thoughts about how her Wish will magically make everything better qualify, as she completely refuses to acknowledge how it could backfire.
- AU!Alya thinks to herself "Look out world; when I wake up, I will be a whole new, different Alya Cesaire!" These turn out to be her last thoughts before she's replaced by the Alya who made the Wish.
- A Tragedy of Impulsiveness:
- Upon learning about the Wish, Alya immediately decides that she's going to make one, dismissing all warnings about the potential fallout.
- AU!Alya ruined her reputation at her old school by impulsively posting rumors on her blog without taking the time to investigate and learn more about what was happening.
- Once she learns that Nooroo has a more indirect power than she'd like, AU!Alya impulsively decides that she'll become a 'fake' supervillain and lure out heroes with 'better' Miraculouses.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Alya dismisses Marinette as one, thinking that she should be grateful that Alya's willing to make the Wish where she won't. This influences her impulsive decision to Wish for Marinette's happiness, as she intends to rub the favor in her face.
- Unwitting Pawn: Hawk Moth!Alya serves as one for Adrien, who manipulates her into an agent of his own revenge against their classmates for 'causing' Chloé's downfall.
- What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: AU!Alya was bitterly disappointed to learn the Butterfly specializes in Super-Empowering, wanting to be an action hero rather than supporting others. Her whole reason for becoming Hawk Moth is to get her hands on a 'better' Miraculous so she can become a 'real' superhero.
- Worf Had the Flu: The reason Alya is subbing in for Ladybug is because Marinette is badly ill; this makes it easier for Alya to steal the Miracle Box from her.
- Wouldn't Hurt a Child: AU!Alya stops herself from akumatizing August, and nearly akumatizing her little sisters kickstarts her Heel Realization.
- Wrong Genre Savvy:
- Alya believes that Marinette didn't use the Wish because she's 'scatter-brained' and Forgot About Her Powers, leaving her savvier best friend to save the day. In reality, Marinette knew the dangers of making a reality-altering Wish, while Alya impulsively leaps before she looks.
- Her counterpart in the new reality created by the Wish thinks she's writing her own Super Hero Origin story and turning others into Anti-Heroes. She's actually a self-absorbed Unwitting Pawn that her 'partner' Adrien is playing for his own ends.
