Actions

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warning:
Category:
Fandoms:
Relationships:
Characters:
Additional Tags:
Language:
English
Stats:
Published:
2022-03-26
Completed:
2023-12-19
Words:
7,565
Chapters:
2/2
Comments:
154
Kudos:
46
Bookmarks:
11
Hits:
1,700

Phantom Miracles (Outline)

Summary:

Character outlines and a plot overview for an AU in which the Phantom Thieves operate not in the Metaverse, but in broad daylight, protecting the streets and citizens of Parishibuya from whatever threats may emerge.

I got inspired to make this just from seeing the tags of RYVAL, and if you're looking for P5/ML content then I'm sure you're at least passingly familiar with what RYVAL is.

(Now updated with Tactica content, so beware of spoilers for that)

Notes:

(See the end of the work for other works inspired by this one.)

Chapter 1: Phantom Miracles Main Plot

Chapter Text

Inspired by the RYVAL series, which you’re probably already familiar with if you’re seeking out P5/ML content.

Takes place in good old Parishibuya in the country of Jafrance. More reminiscent of Miraculous France than P5 Japan, with the cast of the game replacing the cast of the show.

Igor has to be a much more active Guardian than Fu thanks to the sheer number of Miraculi that have ended up in the wrong hands due to events that will be discussed later. Has a selection of loyal Attendants, each equipped with a Miraculous of their own.

 

The Phantom Thieves:
Unfortunately, since the Miraculi come with their own weapons, they don’t get to keep their Thief gear. Fortunately, since there’s no big overarching villain they have to be wary of at all times, the No Learning Each Others’ Secret Identities rule is moot and gone.

1. Akira + Ladybug = Harlequin (A common type of ladybug). Basically his red skin from Smash but a brighter shade of red and the black lines on the back are replaced with a whole bunch of spots. He also has a red Arsene top hat with Satanael’s halo of black wings on the brim. Traditional spotted domino mask.
2. Ann + Cat = Rosette (The name for a panther’s “spots”). Basically a black version of her usual outfit, but the gloves are yellow with black spots and her larger mask is replaced with Chat’s domino and smaller ears. She also gets his belt, no longer functioning as a tail since she already has one, adorned with black and yellow roses for Carmen. Morgana is the Cat Kwami now.
3. Ryuji + Horse = Highwayman (Honorable thieves on horseback). Long tan coat and off-white pants, maintaining the high collar. Red tie is replaced with a white bandana around his neck. Brown tricorn hat with a small skull emblem on it. Ammo belt replaced by a courier bag. His mask is a strip of dark brown cloth with eyeholes that trails out behind him.
4. Yusuke + Dragon = Rainmaker (Reference to Zennyo Ryuo myth). Dark blue Buddhist monk robe with a white tree design on the front. Fox tail replaced by a white serpentine one with a ridge of red spikes along the back. Goemon’s bell belt and high sandals. Same large mask, but a dragon face with white and red scales, horns, and little mustache.
5. Makoto + Turtle = Loggerhead (Alternate name for alligator snapper). Dark green snapper-head-shaped motorcycle helmet with the visor in the mouth. Outfit is basically the same as her usual one but dark green and scaly. Shoulder spikes replaced with bulky ridges. Shield is an oval and covered in the raised spikes of Macrochelys.
6. Futaba + Rabbit = Lunar Hare (Myth reference/Lunar Mare pun). White bodysuit with silver and blue “veins” running throughout. Silver belt with clock in the middle, silver and metallic blue visor. Tall rabbit ears that can rotate like satellite dishes. Hair turns white and is tied into a sort of blunt ponytail that resembles a mortar.
7. Haru + Butterfly = Iris (Scientific name of Purple Emperor butterfly). Lavender suit with light gray material on the shoulders and neck, as well as the flowery gold embroidery from Milady’s dress on the legs. Large, purple, translucent sunglasses/mask shaped like the symbol that shows up on Akumas’ eyes. Floofy hair kept at least partially constrained via Astarte dual gold ring clips.
8. Goro + Eagle = Raptor (Another name for a bird of prey). Similar but less ornate white uniform, with the pauldrons replaced by a huge cape of dark brown feathers. Big chest emblem of Eagle logo like Robin Hood. Boots with sharp talons on the front for parkour and kicks. Mask is a larger version of the standard Eagle’s. Earrings have Loki’s zigzag pattern.
9. Yoshizawa + Mouse = Mischief (Name for a group of mice). Frilly, light grey dress with colorful patches. Same jump rope tail, similar mask but without pink accents. Mismatched red and blue leggings and bows that keep her hair in mouse ear buns. Cendrillon shoes, blue and shiny with gold heart symbols on the tops. Luca is the Mouse Kwami now (same deal as Mona, a small flying version of her Metaverse appearance).
10. Sophia + Pig = Truffle Hog (Pig that can find valuable things). Hair turns bright pink and her trailing hearts become pearls. Pink bodysuit with the pattern of white lines seen on her box prison and a tail that curls into a heart shape. Boots are white with pink swirls. Mask is dark pink and rectangular to reference Pandora’s head box.
11. Zenkichi + Prodigious = Menagerie (French word for a bunch of animals). Red and orange gi with ragged black stripes that look like claw marks in place of the buttons on the front. Hair grows longer and turns red and spiky as per usual. Black belt long enough to stretch out into tassels like Valjean’s coat. Mask is red and resembles Wolf’s blindfold.
12. Eri + Tiger = Guerrillera (Female guerrilla fighter). Dress with vertical stripes of fuchsia and pale purple over fuchsia leggings. Long cape lined with rows of bola spheres. Black beret with cat ears poking out from the top and the Tiger’s paw print symbol on the front. Long boots and long-clawed gloves are black metal armor with swirls of gold. Fuchsia domino mask with black stripe over one eye.
13. Toshiro + Goat = Scapegoat (One who is burdened with and blamed for the sins of others). Basically a slightly bulkier version of Caprikid’s costume with some choice aesthetic modifications. Main suit color is black, fur lining is dark gray, and accent lines on the chest are blood red and more jagged to resemble slash marks. Horns are longer and curl back like those of an Icelandic goat. Mask looks just like his canon one to not let that go to waste [Why did they go to the trouble of designing a mask for him if they weren’t going to give him a full Thief outfit???].

Attendants:
Their transformed versions are their usual uniforms, just with domino masks and the color schemes swapped to fit with the Miraculous. Due to their uniquely powerful positions, their abilities are each somewhat boosted beyond the capabilities of a normal holder.

1. Elizabeth + Monkey = Mandrill. In addition to disabling another’s powers, her Uproar allows her to steal said powers and briefly wield them herself.
2. Theodore + Bee = Beeodore Blackjacket. Can cause Venom’s stinger to sprout bee wings, detach from his hand, and fly toward a designated target. The stinger is not especially fast, but it does unerringly home in on whatever it’s pursuing.
3. Margaret + Snake = Krait. Not as flashy an upgrade as some of the others, but one that offers a wealth of strategic possibilities. When going back to her marked point with Second Chance, she can choose one nearby inanimate object to not be reset with the rest of the timeline.
4. Marie + Fox = Kumiho. If one of her Mirages is physically dispersed, she can choose to have the illusion detonate into one of three types of miniature vapor clouds that affect the minds of those within them, making them dizzy, confused, or forgetful.
5. Lavenza + Peacock = Ocellus. Always produces her Amoks in pairs, granting the two resulting Sentimonsters a level of synchronization with one another most often seen in identical twins.
6. Merope + Rooster = Bantam. In exchange for being somewhat limited in the capabilities of the powers that she can grant, her Sublimation’s abilities are permanent once gifted to another (assuming she doesn’t personally retract them).

 

Additional Character Details:
•Akira’s Lucky Charm items have an inverted color palette, black with red spots like Antibug, and his ladybug swarms are black and orange. He eventually convinces Sojiro to branch out and offer some rudimentary baked goods at his cafe in order to fuel Tikki’s magic more easily.
•Morgana was originally much more similar to Plagg in his appearance, but changed into a miniature flying version of his Metaverse mascot form in order to fit with Ann’s aesthetic as a show of dedication.
•Ann was very professional and dedicated to her superhero duties for the week and change she was active before Akira arrived, and will absolutely hold this technical seniority over the others when she wants to get her way. Similar dynamic with Akira as Adrien and Marinette, the two alternating between flirtatious and flustered.
•Ryuji cursed so frequently in TV interviews that the other heroes set up a swear jar for him. He can let loose in civilian mode or during fights, but when the cameras are rolling they need to be on their best behavior.
•Yusuke leaves comments critiquing Phantom Thieves fanart he sees online. This includes the more...interesting genres of fanart, which he is mostly nonplussed by. Several artists credit this feedback as being extremely helpful for their development.
•Makoto has a customized motorcycle called the Snapper Cycle, a gift from a grateful upper crust family that the Thieves saved from being robbed at gunpoint. She was reluctant at first, but has absolutely leaned into it over time, using it to take out criminals who dare to think they can escape the Fist of Justice.
•Futaba goes full March Hare lunatic mode when in costume, almost always grinning and muttering to herself. Not even the other Thieves are sure if this is a side effect of time travel warping her mind or just her natural state.
•Haru, despite having a Miraculous with an ability designed to play support, is just as gleefully violent in fights as she is in the original canon. The only difference is that instead of slashing with an axe, she alternates between bludgeoning with the cane and piercing with the hidden sword.
•Goro instantly drops the smiley Detective Prince act when he makes his costumed debut. Raptor is pure 3rd Semester cynicism. After joining the team, he becomes sort of a mix, balancing out general politeness with a sardonic edge. He will only self-Liberate to go Psycho Slasher in truly desperate situations, savoring his ability to stay in control.
•Yoshizawa takes to parkouring over rooftops like a fish to water and is appalled by the posture of some of her teammates when they do the same. She sets up mandatory lessons for everyone because, according to her (phrased as politely as possible, of course), if it weren’t for the durability boost granted by the Miraculi, they’d have broken so many bones by now.
•When Sophia transforms (or just when she feels like interacting with the physical world), she projects herself as a hard light hologram. She is incredibly durable, leading to her becoming a tank for the party, but there are two downsides: A. The hologram is projected from Akira’s phone, making it an Achilles Heel for her, and B. She has a limited amount of energy to project with. Taking strong attacks drains said energy, so if she gets hit hard enough, she’ll disappear and briefly hibernate so she can recharge.
•Zenkichi had quite a bit of new information that he had to process in canon, and with the Prodigious’ collection of not-Kwamis that only he can see, that’s still true here. Eventually he learns to control his emotions enough to access all of the possible transformations, but it takes quite a bit for him to feel anything other than pure confusion.
•Eri (who’s a hybrid of her real world self and Erina because I have no earthly idea how I’d translate her whole situation into the Miraculous universe) was affected a bit more severely by The Train Incident than in canon, resulting in one of her legs being replaced with a prosthetic. Over the years, she’s come to see it as a badge of honor and a reminder to never back down when facing off against oppressors and the corrupt.
•Toshiro feels just a liiiiiittle self-conscious about channeling so much of his repressed angst into his costume’s design, but the other Thieves agree that after everything he’s gone through, he deserves an outlet to work some stuff out.

 

Plot:
Most of the arc villains use the Miraculous that will end up being redistributed to the Thief who gets recruited during their arc (all of whom contribute to the villain’s downfall in one way or another while powerless). As adults, the bad guys can use their signature abilities without worrying about the 5 minute countdown, making the battles much more even despite their constantly growing number of opponents. Their glamours keep people from realizing who the publicly-seen villains are until they’re beaten and unmasked, so the Thieves’ victories still result in big dramatic confessions.

ARC 1:
Kamoshida (AKA Stallion) uses the teleportation of the Horse to bring those he has “private lessons” with to more out-of-the-way locations, free from potential witnesses.

When he tries to make a move on Ann, she jumps off the roof they’re on to get away. Some nearby awnings and shrubbery mostly-but-not-entirely break her fall, allowing her to escape. This act of brave defiance gets Igor’s attention, earning her the Cat. Now she just needs solid proof, because saying “My teacher turned into a supervillain and magically teleported both of us miles away” isn’t going to convince the police.

In the following few days, in addition to training with the instantly infatuated Morgana and stopping some street-level crooks, she works to catch Kamoshida in the act whenever possible, fighting him to a standstill each time. Her biggest problem is preventing him from just teleporting away when things start to go south. Regardless, the public is suitably impressed with her.

The two’s latest fight is especially brutal, with her using Cataclysm to collapse part of a building on top of them both as a last-ditch escape effort. It works, but she loses track of Morgana in the ensuing chaos.

Despite this being his first day in Parishibuya (same false accusation backstory), Akira rushes to the scene of the collapse and helps some civilians get to safety. Soon after, he bumps into Igor, who gives him some cryptic hints about future opportunities and a small box with a red and black eye design on it. He doesn’t open it because he doesn’t know who the hell that guy was and it could easily be drugs or something. He tries to throw it away, but it keeps reappearing in his bag.

Akira stumbles across Morgana in an alley on the way to his first day of school. After his desperate stuffed toy disguise falls apart to prolonged stoic scrutiny, Mona asks for help getting back to his “Lady.” It’s not exactly hard for Akira to figure out which girl at school is the aforementioned Lady thanks to Morgana’s wistful sighing whenever pointed in her direction.

Ann, who’s been looking stressed all day, nearly has her eyes bulge out of her head when she sees her Kwami in the hands of the “dangerous new transfer student” (regardless of how little she actually buys into all the rumors). She asks to talk somewhere private after school.

In an empty classroom, Ann dramatically reveals that she’s Rosette...to no reaction because Akira just got here. She transforms in front of him and explains her backstory. Akira asks what he can do to help take down Stallion. Things proceed semi-normally from there, with the two watching the terrible teacher’s every move to try and find an opening to strike and Ryuji volunteering to help too because eff that guy.

 

ARC 2:
Madarame (AKA Watatsumi) uses the Dragon to subject both critics that diss “his” work and anyone who dares to try and reveal how he treats his students to sudden storms. An inconvenient flood to destroy documents here, a strong gust of wind to blow their car into a ditch there...and a direct lightning strike for the biggest threats.

 

ARC 3:
Kaneshiro (AKA Mata-Mata) uses the Turtle to put pressure on those that owe him. By just placing the Shelter forcefield around their homes and waiting, he can drive them to the brink with involuntary quarantine until they’re ready to give him anything he asks for in order to be let out.

 

ARC 4:
Futaba is tormented by Warren, a version of herself from a much darker timeline using the Rabbit. She claims she’s doing it for her own protection to prevent future tragedies, but she’s ruining her own life.

After that situation is cleared up, this alternate Futaba becomes an occasional ally of the Thieves in the same vein as Future!Bunnyx. The design of the other her, “Futaba Isshiki,” is based on her original concept art (black hair, skull jacket, striped shirt).

 

ARC 5:
Kunikazu (AKA Viceroy) makes the working conditions of his businesses awful on purpose to create a veritable Akuma factory for his political sabotaging needs. This is the closest to Canon ML that the AU gets, with the Thieves having to take on a variety of Akumas before confronting their source.

 

ARC 6:
Instead of Sae (Not sure how she’d get involved, since the cops are generally pretty chill about the heroes in ML), the Thieves have to deal with Shido’s five elites: Politician, Former Noble, TV President, IT President, and Yakuza Cleaner. Despite their opponents being unpowered, Shido has not been idle, granting each of them specialized high-tech security forces whose weapons can affect even transformed Miraculous users. It’s almost like he has access to a Miraculous in order to study its weaknesses…

On a completely unrelated note, there’s also a new avian-themed superhero in town who’s started making an effort to show up the Thieves, working more directly with the police to put bad guys away. Public speculation and support is off the charts for this mysterious new rival.

Haru is unsure who to grant powers to in her first fight, so she panics and chooses Morgana. She’s gotten along with him before, and Ann had just de-transformed from Cataclysm anyway. This grants Mona the human body he’s always wanted, with powers and a costume reminiscent of Zorro. This isn’t Shadowmoth-style Unification, this is the Butterfly trying to overwrite the Cat, so things turn out poorly when his body starts to reject the complex mixture of magics inside him.

Ultimately, Mona goes back to just being a Kwami, and for future fights Haru picks human friends of the Thieves:
•Shiho - Seraflood. Able to create and manipulate holy water, either in small amounts to heal and purify allies or powerful streams to blast enemies like a blessed fire hose.
•Mishima - Hacktivist. Able to interface his tech-covered gloves into electronics or people to alter their properties. The latter is more risky, with occasional glitches.
•Hifumi - Strategeneral. Able to, with the proper set-up on her magic board, summon Shogi pieces (generals, chariots, dragons, etc.) as large golem minions.
•Shinya - Akimboss. Able to create laser turrets of varying sizes that can attach to any surface, auto-fire at an indicated target, and be manually controlled remotely.

 

ARC 7:
Shido, thanks to his usual scheming, is winning over tons of people in his bid to become mayor. This is the first villain that the Thieves can’t take down just by beating him up (At first, anyway. The beatings will come).

Goro publicly unmasks as Raptor and makes a call-out post to the PT, stating that their last few encounters have convinced him that he can’t beat them, so now he wants to join them. In the face of overwhelming pressure from their fans, they tentatively agree.

The raid on Shido happens on a real cruise ship this time, packed to the brim with heavily armed guards and advanced security systems. The inevitable boiler room betrayal happens, with the culprit not being another Goro, but Shido himself, allowing him to claim the Eagle as his own (taking on the monicker Golden Eagle) and face the Thieves on a more equal playing field.

I think it’d be really funny to have Akechi’s big redemption sacrifice moment happen almost exactly the same as in canon…and then after the Shido boss fight Akira uses Miraculous Ladybug and ends up bringing Goro back, which is VERY confusing to everyone involved because none of them knew that his power could resurrect the dead. Goro joins the team for real and adamantly refuses to talk about what he saw after he passed.

 

ARC 8:
Yaldabaoth is a rogue Guardian who tried to forcibly take control of the Mother Box. This led to an all-out battle, which ended with him being magically mutated (For Reference: www.tumblr.com/cherubchoirs/638886410681810944/say-your-prayers?source=share) and the box’s Miraculi being scattered all over the world. A large number of them didn’t end up too far away, mostly just scattering over the land where the battle took place, which just so happened to be Jafrance.

The Velvet Room crew, in an effort to distance themselves from Yaldy and prevent another battle, started by going after the ones that landed further abroad (The Cat, Ladybug, and the ones worn by the Attendants). Their distributing Miraculi to Ann and Akira was one of the first things they did after their eventual return.

Having fully recovered from his battle with Igor, Yaldy makes his move, attempting to destroy the Guardian’s chosen bearers, retrieve their HIS Miraculi, and exact his long-awaited revenge.

Once things start getting really apocalyptically bad, Yoshizawa, having refused the call to action once before after she helped take out one of Shido’s guys, tracks down Igor to get the Mouse and join the team. She may disagree with their methods, but she can’t stand by and do nothing while the city is brought to ruin.

 

ARC 9:
In a last-ditch effort to carry on his mission after getting whooped by the Thieves, Yaldabaoth hibernates, sealing his power and essence into a golden amulet (an eye in the middle of a sun with spiked light beams around it) called a Numinous…which accidentally ends up in the hands of local high school therapist Dr. Maruki. Hijinks ensue.

Turns out that Sumire has been acting like Kasumi just like in canon, but only because of her crippling self-worth issues causing her to think that it’d be easier than trying to live and make friends as the real her. Sumi has done everything she possibly can to keep the other Thieves from finding out that her sister even exists, but she can’t keep it up forever.

Things come to a head when she works up the courage to ask Akira over to her place to study while Kasumi is at gymnastics practice, only for her to get back unexpectedly early. Sitcom-style shenanigans ensue as the twins rapidly move between rooms, appearing to swap back and forth between trying to continue the study session as normal and threatening to call the police because she doesn’t know who Akira is or how he got into her house.

 

ARC 10:
Akira Konoe [Altus, why the hell would you punish us like this? Just because some of us don’t prefer the name Ren?] basically does Gabriel’s plan from the Shanghai movie, except he actually succeeds in stealing the Prodigious. He then goes full Syndrome, anonymously funding and supporting the Monarchs’ crime sprees before swooping in to save the day as Bestiary.

Each Monarch is supplied with an identity-concealing, power-armor-like costume and a variety of weapons and gadgets that all utilize top-secret tech developed by Madicce. It all seems incredibly advanced, and the devices function well enough, but each one also has a hidden weak point purposefully built into its design. By exploiting these secret vulnerabilities, Bestiary can take his “foes” down much easier than any of the other active heroes, gaining more public adulation in the process.

The Monarchs
•Alice Hiiragi, AKA Queen Wonderland - Leads her swarms of love-struck followers in attacking and ostracizing any, pardon the pun, “False Idols” that dare to challenge her absolute authority. Sleek metal leg boosters that massively enhance the height of her jumps and the power of her stomps. A cane with the head of a flamingo on the end and a button which, when pressed, causes the beak to open and unleash a devastating sonic shriek. A number of hidden pockets and pouches in her skimpy-looking outfit that contain powerful heart-shaped grenades.
•Ango Natsume, AKA Dracolord - Attempts to convert a large chunk of Parishibuya into his personal kingdom, stealing objects and even sections of buildings from all the oldest, most gothic structures around the city so he can populate his domain with something more aesthetically in line with his tastes. Dual arm-mounted flamethrowers with nozzles designed to look like dragon heads. Speedy rocket pack with gigantic, bladed, reptilian wings extending from the sides. Prehensile mechanical tail with a superheated, spear-like point on the end that can slice through nearly any mundane material.
•Mariko Hyodo, AKA Arctic Empress - Works relentlessly to “clean up the streets,” though her definition of cleaning and what(/who) she views as filth have become a bit warped. Long robotic tentacles can emerge from circular ports all over her costume, allowing for various Doc-Ock-esque maneuvers. A pair of boots with retractable ice skate blades that can deploy streams of liquid nitrogen from their soles, allowing her to create skatable ice trails and lash out with flash-freezing kicks. Large gauntlets that function like Generator Rex’s Slam Cannon, taking huge “bites” out of inanimate objects in order to crush their payloads into round projectiles and “spit” them back out.
•Shuzo Ubukata, AKA Savior King - Konoe’s magnum opus, turning his own head of R&D into a Lex-Luthor-style “scientist with a god complex” rival for Bestiary. Repeatedly shouts his insistence that his subjugation of the city and everyone in it is for their own protection from the evils of the outside world. Pilots a building-sized giant robot stockpiled with homing missiles. Energy sword for when forced to fight outside of his mech suit. Lasers absolutely everywhere.
•Akane Hasegawa, AKA Bandit Princess - Similar MO as in Strikers, believing the Phantom Thieves to be imposters despite all evidence to the contrary and seeking to expose their true natures to the world. Top hat can sprout a buzzsaw around the rim and be thrown like a boomerang. Personal cloaking field that lets her either turn invisible or flawlessly replicate the appearances of others. Wicked black daggers that are able to pierce straight through magical constructs and effects, including Miraculous costumes. Strangely, Konoe seems just as surprised as everyone else by her sudden turn to villainy, and Madicce has never developed any sort of anti-magic weapons. Where did this come from?

Sophia suddenly appears around the same time that Bestiary first becomes active, asking the Thieves for their assistance in defeating their fellow “superhero.” How she can transform into Truffle Hog and how Konoe is so successful in convincing mostly normal people to become supervillains are both explained in the next arc.

Zenkichi is one of the few cops to harbor any suspicions about Konoe, leading to him helping the Thieves expose his crimes and inheriting the Prodigious afterwards.

 

ARC 11:
Turns out Konoe had a real Miraculous in his possession, the Pig, but chose to experiment on it instead of wearing it. Eventually he managed to channel its magic into the systems of his helper app’s AI (If a robot like Markov can be Akumatized, this makes just as much sense), which she used to mess with the heads of the Monarchs at Akira's command. Or at least, mostly at Akira’s command, because Akane becoming a villain was entirely her idea. She even used her hyper-advanced intelligence and in-depth analysis of the Miraculous to craft some schematics for magic-severing weaponry that’s on a whole other level compared to what Shido’s elite soldier squads had at their disposal. With her supposed master now out of the picture, EMMA harnesses the Pig’s Gift to its fullest, showing massive numbers of civilians their hearts’ desires through her app interface as a means of controlling them.

The good news is that Sophie is linked to EMMA, so she can also tap into the Pig’s power in order to transform. The bad news is that every time she does so, EMMA becomes more aware of her presence, and sooner or later she’s going to start sending hypnotized mobs to destroy her big sister.

 

ARC 12:
Yoshiki (AKA Man-Eater) uses the Tiger to dispose of any and all obstacles to his son’s rise to power. His go-to approach is using his external charms to lure them into a private one-on-one meeting with him, at which point he transforms, pulls out the tiny derringer pistol he keeps in his suit pocket, and channels Clout into it to deliver a massive attack that runs rampant through their body with just a tiny bullet. He doesn’t care whether this actually kills them or not, so long as they get the message: shut up and stay out of Toshiro’s way. His utter ruthlessness truly brings a whole new meaning to the term Tiger Parent.

Young rising star journalist Eri Natsuhara has been looking into the beloved representative’s misdeeds and decides the best source for her scoop would be her closest childhood friend. Said friend, of course, is Toshiro himself, who is far from oblivious to what Yoshiki’s been doing but has been browbeaten into compliance. Perhaps she (and some local heroes who’ve been harboring their own suspicions) can ignite the spark of rebellion within him.

 

ARC 13:
Tao, AKA the famous street artist Guernica, has only recently come to Parishibuya, having originated from a country adjacent to Jafrance where she wielded the Mouse Miraculous as the antihero Rat King. Her super-powered tenure lasted up until she encountered Igor and his Attendants on their collection quest, reluctantly returning the artifact and the Kwami that she had grown so close with to them for the sake of the greater good. Shortly after arriving in town, she’s contacted by…something that alters her mind and enhances her already impressive stealth and parkour skills, allowing her to effortlessly break into a heavily guarded museum to steal a different Miraculous - the Goat.

The newly christened Cabra Commander puts her paintbrush’s abilities to excellent use, drawing up an arsenal’s worth of weapons, combat gear, and trap materials. Her gang of paint-splattered thugs is so incredibly well-equipped that they’re quickly able to turn the whole city into a war zone in spite of their relatively small numbers. By all rights, she should be de-transforming after each use of her ability, but her mysterious patrons’ influence allows her to keep going far beyond the creation of just one item. The drawback, of course, is that she’s physically and mentally drained with each consecutive Genesis that she performs without taking a break and removing the hair clips.

The tattooed menace is pretty smug and dismissive of the Thieves when they confront her, only to flip out and make a berserk beeline for Sumire as soon as she lays eyes on her. Now that she has the chance to get Luca back, she’s going to do everything in her power to do just that.

Toshiro, despite his initial reluctance to be dragged into open armed combat, ultimately proves himself to be a vital member of the team. During the final confrontation, he uses nothing but his words to break through Guernica’s possession and convince her to stand down (helped by Sumi promising her that she can come and visit Luca whenever she wants).

 

ARC 14:
Jerri and Salmael are two incredibly powerful magically animated statues (similar to Mei Shi) who were left with the duty of protecting mankind by their long-dead creators. Obviously, a lot has happened in the last few centuries that humans need to be protected from, so upon being accidentally reawakened and released by a team of archaeologists, they set a strategy in motion. Unfortunately, all that time they spent decaying in an abandoned tomb has left their minds and magics alike twisted and corrupted, leaving them unable to see just how unhelpful their grand plan actually is.

With the graffiti gang down, the Goat being passed to a more suitable wielder, and Haru even transforming Tao into Prism Warden so she can get her revenge on her puppetmasters with some nifty paint manipulation abilities, the time has come to confront the sinister, scheming sculptures. With their chosen mouthpiece to the human race turned against them, the stone and metal would-be saviors decide that enough is enough. If these interlopers want to subject their own kind to all the destruction and despair that comes with that “free will” nonsense, they’ll have to go through them to do it.

Chapter 2: Phantom Miracle World Specials

Summary:

Phantom Miracles adaptations of the Miraculous Ladybug Specials (brought to you by a comment from user Scrizz).

Chapter Text

UNITED HEROES:
Takes place between the Yaldabaoth and Maruki arcs.

Igor puts out an emergency call to assemble the heroes in his headquarters, disguised as a downtown jazz club called The Velvet Room.

He informs them that the 5 Attendants they’ve met over the course of their adventures aren’t actually his entire entourage. He had a 6th Attendant named Merope, but she chose to stay behind in a foreign city during their global Miraculous search to try and help combat the massive crime wave the city was experiencing. She’d been very successful in her efforts thus far, so there’d been no need to call her back or worry for her. However, she’s abruptly gone totally radio silent, and a massive new supervillain threat has emerged whose powers look awfully similar to those of her Miraculous. The Thieves’ mission, should they choose to accept it, is to go to New York, find out what happened to her, and put a stop to this new menace that has cropped up in her absence.

Over in the US of A, the Thieves discover that Merope assembled her own squad of crime-fighting costumed vigilantes called Idol X, combining the Sublimation of the Rooster with the mysterious abilities granted by her Attendant status to ensure that the powers she bestows upon each member last for far longer than they should. They also discover that she has quite the eclectic tastes as for who should join her secret circle of superheroes, including but not limited to: various high school and college students, a housewife, an aspiring actor, a former professional figure skater, a child clothing model, an unemployed fishing prodigy, an elderly saxophonist, a dancing bartender, and…an owl? Most of them are too busy with goings-ons in their personal lives or investigating crimes to help much outside of the final battle, but five members in particular stick with the Thieves consistently to help locate their missing benefactor and get revenge on her usurper.

Idol X Members And Powers
1. “Wonder” (Refuses to compromise his secret identity) - Summoning parallel universe versions of himself with unpredictable, highly variable powers and personalities.
2. Lufel - Shapeshifting between three forms: his natural owl body, a cartoonish anthropomorphic mascot creature that looks like a 3-foot-tall Kwami, and a car. Morgana can’t help but feel strangely jealous of him.
3. Motoha Arai - Shark Physiology. More specifically, breathing and enhanced maneuverability while in water, increased bite strength, thickened skin, and blood sense.
4. Shun Kanou - Converting his body into lengths and coils of rope that he can animate and manipulate at will.
5. Riko Tanemura - Creating swirling discs of wind in the air around her which can be used as hovering shields, floating platforms, or Destructo Disc projectiles.

A few weeks before the Thieves’ mission, a certain ex-star baseball player was in need of some cash. As such, when he happened to bump into Merope at a subway station, he used his usual Subway Slammer shtick to knock her down and steal her expensive-looking thumb ring, planning to pawn it later. He soon discovered, however, that what he’d found was far more valuable than just an expensive accessory.

Takeyuki Kiuchi, AKA Brahma, seeks revenge on the city that turned its back on him after his sports career fell apart. He’s starting by going after his former teammates and coach, but will broaden his targets very soon if he isn’t stopped. Using his meticulous pitcher’s eye to pick up on even the smallest of details, he thoroughly analyzes his opponents before granting himself the power that he believes will best counter them.

 

THE LEGEND OF ISLAND-MAKER:
Takes place between the Maruki and Bestiary arcs.

During a break from school, Akira decides to return to his hometown of Inaba to stay with his parents for a while and reassure them that he’s been doing fine while on probation. The other Thieves secretly make arrangements so that they can tag along too as a surprise, equal parts eager to spend more time with him and curious to see what their leader’s home life is like.

Although the trip starts out as an ideal, relaxed, rustic countryside vacation, things go awry with the arrival of mysterious unseasonal fog banks that drive those who stay within them for too long to madness.

While out on an ill-advised solo nighttime scouting mission amidst the roiling fog, Harlequin encounters two unexpected sights. The first is a tall woman in a white robe with long gray hair strolling through the hazardous haze without a care. But before he can scope out what is most assuredly the villain responsible for this further, he’s interrupted by an urban legend that he’s heard whispers of for most of his life, but never seen in-person - the mysterious hometown hero known as Island-Maker.

Island-Maker’s costume is a set of Tokusatsu-inspired armor, which is equipped by crushing a special magical card. Monochromatic color scheme with subtle hints of red and gold. Two columns of circles rising up his torso like buttons. Long scarf-like cloths trailing back from two horn-like points on top of his helmet. Wields a huge spear and a variety of elemental magic attacks, which are released by drawing out primordial liquid from the water, air, or ground and molding it into what he desires.

Island-Maker battles Harlequin across the rooftops and power lines for a while, believing him to be responsible for these vile vapors before Akira manages to clear things up.

The next morning, Akira introduces the Thieves to their new ally, and the heroes agree to work together to search for the strange ethereal woman. Coincidentally, around the same time, Akira in his civilian form begins to reconnect with a childhood idol of his who’s back in town on business. Despite being only a nephew, the charismatic young man may as well be the adopted son of a family that’s been very close with the Kurusus for years, the Dojimas. Yu says they’ve got a lot of catching up to do.

Izanami was once known as Belladonna, Marie’s sister and fellow Attendant of Igor. She was the wielder of the Fox back during the time of Yaldabaoth’s rebellion, but her Miraculous was damaged in the conflict. By continuing to use the broken Fox, her body and mind were altered, turning her into the enigmatic mistress of fog and deception that she is now. Once her powers independent of the Miraculous had developed enough, she split off from Igor’s entourage, leaving behind the Fox for Marie to repair and inherit. She’s had some limited success in bringing her illusory creature creations to life, granting her a pair of monstrous minions in the form of Kunino-sagiri and Ameno-sagiri. Island-Maker has been the most persistent thorn in her side by far, though he never knew who exactly was behind the machinations he kept thwarting. Now, after laying low for a while, she’s returned in force. The reason? She’s found herself an acolyte, an on-again off-again devotee hiding in plain sight whom she believes will act as the perfect antithesis for her nemesis. And once she finishes gathering the materials to craft her own version of I-M’s magic card, granting her twisted disciple a dark reflection of the empowered armor that’s been used against her so many times, her dominance will never be questioned again.

 

TALES OF HUSK AND BONEYARD:
Heavily inspired by one of my favorite Miraculous fics, Hop To It by lpofdestiny. Takes place between the EMMA and Man-Eater arcs.

In a parallel timeline, Akane Hasegawa, AKA Omega Supreme (she’s no less chuuni in this world than she is in canon), is a corrupted Guardian who overthrew all of her fellow Guardians, including her own father. She has now taken over most of the world with a legion of villainous underlings that all wield Miraculi of her own creation. Her custom specifications ensure that the Kwamis can’t act as pesky voices of reason and morality.

Yaldabaoth, a former Guardian who was magically mutated by Akane for daring to try and speak out against her before her grand betrayal plan could pay off, is the leader of a resistance effort standing up to her tyrannical rule. He and his forces, made up of various allies and side characters surrounding the original Thieves, have barely been managing to hold her back by utilizing the abilities of his own custom magical amulet, the Numinous.

When Akane catches wind that Yaldy is planning to use his powers to travel to an alternate timeline and seek help from the heroes there, she mobilizes everything she has to try and prevent this. The Resistance’s plan partially works. Yaldabaoth is able to cross over to the main Phantom Miracles world…but so are all of his superpowered pursuers.

The Phantom Rogues
Miraculis’ weapons and powers are identical to how they are in Hop To It. The only caveat is that that story’s Rabbit and Dog are here changed to the Hare and Coyote, since the canonical versions of the Rabbit and Dog, which debuted after that story got going, function very differently.

1. Ren + Hare = Husk (Name for a group of hares). Very similar to Harlequin’s costume, but with a brown color scheme and no spots on his back or mask. Combat boots covered in bone white spikes, including on the undersides like cleats. Towering ears that even put Futaba’s to shame poke out from the sides of his top hat, replacing the Satanael wing brim pattern.
2. Ann + Coyote = Boneyard (Reference to scavenging habits and Native American myths of Coyote inventing death). Shaggy orangish-brown fur coat with a hood shaped like a coyote head. Wears her hair down so it can all be contained when she has the hood up. Standard tan domino mask and bodysuit beneath the coat, with hook-clawed gloves and a fluffy tail on the back that responds to her emotions. Belt decorated with small trinkets and trophies taken from defeated opponents.
3. Ryuji + Firefly = Glowworm (Name for firefly larvae). Dark red, puffy, sleeveless top. Obnoxiously bright yellow-green cargo pants. Black vintage military helmet with chinstrap, mimicking the round head of a lightning bug. Thick black motorcycle gloves with yellow metallic knuckle guards that function like brass knuckles. Domino mask is black with thin outlines of dark red and yellow-green.
4. Yusuke + Chameleon = Crypsis (Ability to blend into the environment). Teal jumpsuit with horizontal stripes of red scales running down it, a curled tail on the back, and a collar higher than his head. Large mask with same color scheme/scale patterning, sizable forehead crest, and goggle lenses reminiscent of chameleons’ weird dome eyes. Ties his whip around his waist like a belt when not in use. Can change the color scheme of his costume at will, with his teammates often being able to tell what he’s thinking by reading it like a mood ring.
5. Makoto + Mantis = Orchid (Type of mantis). White kimono with pink and green accents. Matching sandals with curved, scythe-like blades attached to the sides. Round, porcelain white mask that covers her entire face with antennae poking up from the top. Said mask’s design is a menacing face with a serene smile and three piercing eyes, acting as a reversal of praying mantises’ three smaller eyes hidden between their two obvious ones. Back of the kimono can sprout a pair of massive, functional, flower petal wings.
6. Futaba + Dragonfly = Spiketail (Family of dragonflies). Bright blue bodysuit with black accents and tactical armor padding. Matching aviator helmet, with the compound eye goggles replacing her glasses. Long, prehensile dragonfly tail with wicked black stinger blade on the end. Functional dragonfly wings attached to back with circuit board patterns across their wingspan.
7. Haru + Swan = Swansong (Final accomplishment before death). Knee-length dark purple dress with puffy skirt over white leggings. Cape made up of a chaotic, asymmetrical array of black and white feathers. Small jewel-encrusted gold tiara. Large black mask with yellowish-orange accents resembling a swan’s beak. Scepter weapon has been converted into a morningstar, with spikes emerging from its spherical golden top.

Just to complete the homage to the Strikers Kyoto boss, everyone’s transformed versions have glowing golden eyes and bright red hair. (Also I know it’s weird that Akiren is the only one whose civilian name changes across timelines, but I thought it would be funny and just couldn’t resist.)

It’s all-out chaos across the entire city as the Phantom Thieves have to grapple with not only a supposed ally wearing the face of one of their greatest foes, but twisted, dark duplicates of most of their teammates. Or are their counterparts’ sadistic, unhinged tendencies mere shells made to cover up something deeper and more vulnerable?

Upon seeing Spiketail, Futaba immediately quotes the Two Nickels meme and hopes that this doesn’t become a reoccurring theme in her life.