Adrien/Marinette

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Pairing
Pairing: Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Alternative name(s): Adrienette, LadyNoir, Marichat, Ladrien, Adrinette
Gender category: Het
Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug
Canonical?:
Prevalence: Popular
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Adrien/Marinette is the pairing of Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng in Miraculous Ladybug. The two are also the superhero duo called Chat Noir and Ladybug.

Much of the fandom is based on the "love square" between the two people's four identities, which they keep secret from each other. The ship's four portmanteau shipnames, Adrienette, LadyNoir, Marichat, Ladrien, all refer to the relationship between the pair's superhero and secret identities in different combinations. Shippers of any one of these pairs are usually fans of all the combinations, since they all involve the same two people, but there are different interpretations of different dynamics between the different personas.

Canon

Combinations

This relationship is referred to as the "love square", a term based on love triangle that incorporates all four of Marinette and Adrien's identities (their two civilian selves, and their two superhero selves). Four ship names are used to describe the square:

  • Adrienette (or Adrinette) focuses on the interactions between their civilian selves; Marinette is often flighty and preoccupied with her crush, while Adrien is aloof and tends to unintentionally friendzone Marinette while he focuses on winning Ladybug's heart.
  • Ladynoir focuses on the interactions between their superhero selves. Ladybug and Chat Noir share a great bond of trust, but Ladybug keeps the relationship professional and brushes off Chat Noir's frequent attempts at flirting and winning her heart.
  • Ladrien is the ship between Ladybug and civilian Adrien. Both characters, in this identity, are crushing on each other, which leads to fanworks which play out the flustered and often hilarious interactions they have with each other.
  • Marichat is between Chat Noir and civilian Marinette. In canon, neither character is crushing on each other in this identity; this gives fanworks considerable leeway to depict smooth, jovial, and equally flirtatious interactions between the two in various amounts (especially on Marinette's rooftop balcony, in what is called the "Balcony Scene" in fic).

Despite these being essentially the same relationship, fans may have a favorite combination due to the characters' differing dynamics. Ladrien, the pairing in which the two have strong, mutual romantic feelings, is noted to be very sweet and fluffy. Marichat is a significantly popular dynamic because it show the characters interacting without being concerned about romance, and can be considered the truest versions of their personalities.

Fandom

The "love square", as it is known in the fandom, is the complicated set of relationships between Marinette, aka Ladybug and Adrien, aka Chat Noir. The drastically different dynamics between these characters and their superhero personas is a point of fascination to many fans.

Ladynoir was number thirteen as one of the Top 20 ships "most reblogged" on Tumblr in Tumblr Fandometrics' Year in Review 2016[1]. According to AO3 Ship Stats 2016, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng was twelfth in the Top 20 pairings that produced the most fanfic in 2016, and was the most popular het pairing. According to AO3 Ship Stats 2019, Adrien/Marinette was the twentieth of the overall Top 20 pairings on AO3 in 2019, and nineteenth in the Top 20 pairings that produced the most fanfic from 2017 to 2019.

cover of Kitty Love, a Marichat zine

Tropes & Fanon

  • Revealed/Known Identities - alternate universes where Marinette and Adrien are about to become or already are aware of each other's secret identities are common.
  • Reverse Crush/Reverse Love Square - Marinette having a crush on Chat Noir instead of on Adrien, and/or Adrien having a crush on Marinette instead of on Ladybug.

Example Fanworks

Fanart

Fanfiction

Other

Zines

Video

Links & Resources

References

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