Fanfic / The Warm Embrace Of Shadow

"Nuh-uh, not wolf. Coyote. Co-yo-te. There's a big difference." - Karra, probably

Wherefore the boon of influence doth lie in reddened hands?
Wherefore the demon doomed to rot behind in shadow stands?

— Introductory Stanza, TWEOS

What starts as a simple “What-if” of Chat Noir severing ties with Ladybug entirely in Kuro Neko instead of becoming Catwalker quickly descends into an examination of a much darker world, one in which being the holder of the Black Cat Miraculous, as well as being Adrien in general… would really, really suck.

Oh, and yet it’s an Adrinette Soulmate AU. In which the soulmates are not actually the main pairing. Go figure.

This fic was written by wisteriasymphony, and can be read here.

Content Warning: This fanfiction explores matters such as suicide and self-harm, underage drinking and drug use, child abuse and exploitation, the psychological effects of trauma, violent outbursts, cannibalism, parasocial bonds, stalking, and erotomania. Themes include: Autonomy, Struggles with Identity, Dehumanization, the interplay of sex and violence, and ultimately... how the bonds we have with others change us, for better, and for worse.

(For lighter content, an anthology of Claudrien Fluff has also been made!)

Examples of Tropes used in The Warm Embrace of Shadow include:

• Adaptation Name Change:
  • Alya and Nino's legal names have been lengthened to Aaliyah and Nicolas respectively, with the former two serving as simply nicknames used by their friends.
  • Ladybug is now officially Lucky Lucky Ladybug, Rena Rouge is Renared (pronounced "Rena Red"), Carapace becomes CARA.PACE, and Viperion changes to Viperius.
    • Chat Noir stays the same though, perhaps to further distance himself from the team; The fact that his later alias is Chat Errant ("Stray Cat") actually only serves to 'strengthen' this disconnect.
  • Outside of canon, Word of God states that, in keeping with the city's felinophobia, Luka Coffaine's band name is instead named Vampire Revival. Considering how much he is changed from canon, a name like "Kitty Section" would have not fit well anyways.
• Age Lift : All of the main cast are around 18 to better fit the subject material.
• Black-and-Gray Morality: Everyone’s worst aspects are brought out, and for those without, significant liberties are taken to give them some. Kagami is immature and whiny, Luka is a stoner who only ‘dates’ Marinette for the money their ‘superhero couple’ arrangement brings in, Adrien eventually turns into a disturbed sadomasochist and an alcoholic (which is caused and enabled by the equally disturbed Claudia Perreault), and Marinette is an entitled erotomaniac who has no problem using her image as the ‘Savior of Paris’ to sell merchandise.
• Bloodier and Gorier: While most of the earlier violence is only implied or referred to in passing, there are later scenes in which Adrien dreams about being disemboweled and eaten alive. And he likes it. This is not to mention when he snaps in Chapter 44 and, out of a misinformed vengeance, tries to strangle Nathalie to death with his own hands.
• Chase Scene: Chapter 1 starts off with Cynic inviting Chat to a game of ‘tag’/’Cat and Mouse’; This serves as their first meeting, and an introduction to Cynic’s [[Invisibility abilities]]. How Chat finds this out, however, is… embarrassing, to say the least.
• Chocolate of Romance: Subverted, as Adrien despises chocolate. Could be seen as Real Men Hating Sugar, this actually comes from a traumatic experience where he was forced into eating an absurd amount of Valentine’s Day Chocolates by his father.
• Crapsaccharine World: In this version of Paris, ‘stray’ akumas are so common they’re regarded as pests, the former ‘main character’ is an incredibly violent and egotistical leader who is only celebrated by the people due to a brainwashing effect, and Adrien has to live with the fact that his ‘soulmate’ is the same person who would laugh as he fell down six flights of stairs. And yet, some of wisteriasymphony's art, especially that of Lucky Lucky Ladybug, would have you believe otherwise.
• Cute and Psycho: Lucky Lucky Ladybug, and, by extension, Marinette.
• Darker and Edgier: Characters regularly curse, drink, and contemplate violence and/or suicide.
• Flowers of Femininity: More stereotypically feminine and conventionally attractive characters, such as Marinette, Chloé, or Émilie (and occasionally, even Adrien) are given floral motifs or compared to flowers. This is mainly to contrast Claudia, whose earthly motif is clay, rocks, and minerals.
• Gray Rain of Depression: This version of Paris gets rain a lot more often than its canon counterpart. If characters are outside and it is not mentioned to be raining, then there is usually a cold breeze instead.
• Leitmotif: Nat King Cole’s Autumn Leaves serves as an eventual motif for the connection Adrien and Claudia have, though its lyrics seem to imply the connection isn’t so stable.
• Played for Horror: Adrinette, as well as soulmates in general.
• Unreliable Narrator : Nobody ever has all the information they need at any given time, and often come to dreadfully incorrect conclusions. The most prominent of which is Adrien’s belief that his mother’s ‘death’ was kept a secret due to the cause being suicide.