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Ladybug and Chat Noir. They were the Heroes of Paris, always ready to serve and protect. They were role models to young and old alike. But they were also mostly silent, rarely answering a question, and usually only in short words. The longest anyone had ever heard either one of them talk was when Ladybug defied Hawk Moth that fateful day when they began. Some said it was because they couldn't, that the magic prevented them. Eventually, the truth comes out. It always does, in the small and simple things.
And the truth is that the Miraculous did more for the two of them than they could ever do for the world, by giving them something they never had.
She was a girl who couldn't hear the world around her. She was a girl who was socially isolated from her peers thanks to one of them being jealous that she had special permissions in school, such as having a copy of the teacher's notes, never, mind that she still had to study, pay attention in class to the best of her ability, and do the homework herself. She was a girl who never had a best friend until a new girl showed up, helped her stand up for herself, and for the first time ever, gave her someone outside of her family who would sign back to her.
He was a boy who knew nothing but an enclosed world. If he wasn't in his house, in his room, he was in a car, or in a studio. His every move was watched, but he never saw the sun. Everyone knew his face, but he never knew why, because he never saw himself. He was sheltered, coddled, and smothered to the point where his only escape was the music he played, and the online friend who helped him record and critique it.
Ladybug taught her how to use her awareness; how to see the world around her in new and inventive ways, but also how to feel every vibration in the air, the ground, and walls of Paris, and how to feel her own vibrations, inside her heart, lungs, and throat. Ladybug taught her how each vibration meant something, and what they meant.
Chat Noir taught him to use his ears to see; how to hear when people needed aid, and how best to aid them, no matter how quiet the call for help was. He was the one who listened to the anxiety beating in Ladybug's heart, and lifted her up when she was down. Chat Noir taught him how to navigate life and escape the confines of his dark world. Through Chat Noir, he finally understood the color Blue.
Ladybug gave her a way to hear, but more importantly, Ladybug gave her a voice for the first time in her life.
Chat Noir gave him a way to see, but more importantly, Chat Noir gave him a path to freedom and love.
And Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste did not waste those gifts.
So there we go: an AU concept where Marinette/Ladybug is deaf, and Adrien/Chat Noir is blind. The idea comes primarily from how a ladybug's/beetle's antennas and a cat's whiskers work. Another part of it comes from the fact that we often give heroes character flaws to overcome, but rarely ever do we see heroes who have to overcome a disability. Usually it seems to be the villain who has the disability, and that's why they're the villain, which isn't a fair stereotype. I'd like to see more stories and heroes that show them overcoming disabilities, and even finding the talent their disability may hide. I think that might be why I'm not a big fan of Marvel or DC. Rather than another Batman or Daredevil, I'd like to see another Scatman John or Ben Underwood.
Maybe that's why I like Miraculous so much.
I'm not going to do a full series remake based on this AU, but I'd like to challenge others to try.
