Scenes
The "Falling" Flash scene
I had planned for Marinette's other friends-- Rose, Juleka, Mylene, etc-- to find out about Cat Noir not long after Alya. The plan was for him to be hiding out on the balcony, but for the height to cause a Flash. Marinette would have Alya stall the others while she tried to help him, but they'd eventually go up and find the two of them there. Alya would then help Marinette calm him down. I also considered having Chloe find out and cause problems using the information.
Close Call with an Akuma
Another one of my earlier ideas, Hawkmoth would send an Akuma after Cat Noir. Luckily he would spot it (ha) in time and run up to Marinette's room, slamming the trapdoor after him. Marinette would transform to capture the Akuma. This would cause Hawkmoth to become suspicious of how Ladybug was so close, and perhaps even of her identity.
Alternate Eiffel Tower scene
Believe it or not, the original scene on the Eiffel Tower (when Ladybug learns of Cat Noir's situation) was much darker. Ladybug would see him out late and follow him, just as in the finalized version, but instead of sitting with him she would hesitate and watch from afar, debating if she should ask what was going on. In this version, he was already in a bad enough place to do the unthinkable. Ladybug catches him in mid-air, even having to restrain him so he doesn't hurt himself. I also imagined it either snowing (for some reason, I didn't picture any other snow scenes 🤔) or there being a crowd.
Original Nightmare scene
My go-to Nightmare villain involved Ladybug and Cat Noir being captured and having their nightmares both play out for the Akuma victim, Hawkmoth, and each other to witness. This was a different way for Ladybug to learn of her partner's suffering. In the end, I liked my Eiffel Tower scene better as an inciting incident, but still wanted a villain to make Hawkmoth aware of Cat Noir's vulnerability. I went with the version of Night Terror that I did so Ladybug would be left in the dark about her partner's nightmare, giving Hawkmoth a dangerous advantage neither hero knew about, and further hinting that Cat Noir was hiding something big.
Identities
I was going to have both identities revealed at the same time, but it didn't feel right. I wanted to give Marinette a chance to bond with Cat Noir as Cat Noir. I wanted her time away from Adrien combined with her new closeness with Kit-Kat to make her doubt her feelings and fall for the other side of him. Throughout the show, Adrien has suspected Marinette of being Ladybug many times, even comparing her to Ladybug in the Season two Finale, so he clearly has an incredibly high opinion of her. He just wholeheartedly believes he could never be that lucky and that even if she was Ladybug, Marinette would never like him back. He didn't need time to accept the other side of her.
Marinette, on the other hand, called Alya crazy for comparing Adrien to Cat Noir and never once thought it could be him, even in Kwami Buster when she knew that Cat Noir was from her school.
See what I mean?
Music
Full playlist of used AND unused songs (on YouTube):
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Flashes: Miraculous Ladybug (complete)
FanfictionEver since his mom died, Cat Noir has been struggling. He's so good at hiding it that no one knows. Not even his closest friends or his father. But then unforeseen events lead his condition to worsen drastically, and it's only a matter of time befor...
