The Black Cat – Author Notes

Just a bit about my little one-shot; it came about when I went looking for 'ancestor' type fics for the Miraculous of Destruction (for those who aren't aware, there's a couple of fabulous little fan comics regarding this topic for Tikki's former Chosen uploaded to youtube; go check them out ('Ancestor Intervention' or more simply 'The Intervention' and 'Vestiges'. The former is an absolute scream and the latter is just sweet.) I couldn't find any. Whether that's a case of not seeing the wood for the trees or something I don't know, but I think it's a shame that there doesn't seem to be much on Plagg's former kittens. So I created my own.

Pretty much all of the names and occupations were chosen for specific reasons when writing this story. Names especially. Each former Black Cat has a more detailed history lying around among my notes from when I was first writing this late last year, but the names are especially important (for the most part) and these are what I want to talk about below.

So, in order of appearance:

Kek – First of all let me say I LOVE ANCIENT EGYPT! I'm mad for it. Always have been. So when I was looking at lists of names, I had particular requirements in mind. Kek was a 'minor' Egyptian god of darkness but also of chaos, which makes a decent fit for the Kwami of Destruction. He was also a god of obscurity and hidden things; this bearer's name was lost to history and he lives on only in a kwami's memories. Technically the god was a serpent or a frog-headed man, but for my purposes Kek is as human as they come.

Monifa – also ancient Egyptian and simply means lucky. It can also mean eminent and exalted one when translated into Arabic (some form of which is what is mostly spoken in modern day Egypt). This refers to the fact that many of Tikki's Chosen are portrayed as virtuous and make their marks on history or mythology; Plagg's, on the other hand, usually don't get to be remembered and when they are it's for all the wrong reasons, at least in this version.

Anpu – is the original version of Anubis, which is the Greek form of the name. Traditionally thought of as a jackal god, his animal form is actually an African golden wolf. Anpu/Anubis was a protector of the dead as well as the god who weighed the hearts of men against the Feather of Truth. So, a protector, a guide and an enabler (not only did this god guide the souls of the dead, but he also provided the means – embalming, which he oversaw – to get there). This Chosen was all three for Kek. Anpu/Anubis also doesn't feature very prominently in any Egyptian myth; like Kek, this pup faded into obscurity. Poor Barkk.

Caeso – is a Roman name meaning blue-grey. In this instance it refers more to the character's eye colour, but also to the fact that he operated in a very vague and grey area both morally and ethically. This Chosen was supposed to defeat his villain, but surrendered to them instead. It was a common name used by a number of prominent families within the Empire, both high- and low-born; despite being indirectly responsible for the fall of the Roman Empire, Caeso did not stand out much, as evidenced by the fact that Plagg only thinks to comment on his 'moonlighting' and what became of him when compared to the others.

Adhar – was thought up on the spot by me and, so far as I know, doesn't have too much meaning. I needed something somewhat exotic for the real black sheep of the family. I've since found that it is a name in Peru, and one possible translation is pedestal or pillar, at least in Hindi. This brings to mind the old adage; the higher you fly, the farther you have to fall. Adhar was a prince in Atlantis and allowed power to go to his head; it got so bad that Plagg was forced to sink the place to stop whatever mad scheme Adhar had put in play and put an end to his own kitten. Also known as My Take on the Atlantis Incident Mentioned by the Kwami During MLB. Despite what Adhar did, Plagg still remembers him because every kitten has their place. Even the insane, power-mad ones.

Günther – to use the proper version, has its roots in the words for war (gund) and warrior/army (hari). He was a 5th century king from the Germanic saga The Nibelungenlied. He woos a queen, betrays his friend, and gets destroyed by his friend's sister as a result. Go read; interesting stuff the old sagas. The version of him that Plagg knew was no traitor (Plagg blames propaganda, probably that sister I mentioned, though none of his kittens are purely white and fluffy) and was very much a typical knight in shining armour with a side of roguish charm. Much like Adrien.

Shiro – is Japanese and literally means white, though some ways of writing it can apparently mean either samurai or gentleman. Either way, Shiro's name is an irony; he bore the Black Cat Miraculous, and he was a ninja, or a shadow, which were absolutely despised by samurai for being honourless 'dogs' at the beck and call of their masters. Cats are never at anyone's beck and call, and Shiro actually had a lot of honour, though he too was forgotten by history.

Seraphine – means fiery or fiery one and is derived from the word seraphim, which is a type of angel. They had six wings (Seraphine is the sixth Chosen Plagg thinks about), and were among the highest-ranking of angels (Plagg thinks very highly of her) and there is good reason for him to call her his 'fire kitten'; she completely subverted all of society's (and her father's) expectations of her to spite her sire. Seraphine's name is actually two-fold, because . . .

Bedivere – (also Bedwyr) is the name of one of the Knights of the Round Table. Great stories; go read. Not only one of the earliest knights to be featured in the Arthurian tales (Seraphine's from an old, prestigious family), but also one of the last (she's Plagg's most recent favourite kitten, not including Adrien). Sir Bedivere was a one-handed warrior (this Black Cat actually wielded a rapier that was usually hidden in the extendable baton) and was incredibly loyal to his friends and allies while an absolute menace to his enemies. Bedivere was the knight who returned the sword Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake; Seraphine avenged her murdered predecessor and returned the Miraculous of Creation to Tikki when her counterpart went rogue, though these events haunted her for the rest of her life.

Tristan – old English meaning sad. Tristan's fate is a tragedy, for he is driven insane with grief for his young wife and seeks the Wish to revive her, destroying a fellow Chosen in the process and alientating the third, who swaps the Miraculous of Illusions for the Miraculous of Destruction in order to take him down. In Arthurian legend, Tristan was the knight sent to retrieve Isolde, the bride of a king, but during the journey they fall in love (or get dosed with a love potion in some versions) and is killed as a result by the jealous husband to be; on his journey to restore his wife to the land of the living he instead comes to desire Seraphine's love and will go to any length to attain it, much to her horror. Tristan's name is also two-fold . . .

Marin – because his surname simply means of the sea. It's a reference to his profession of naval captain, which frequently put him at odds with his Black Cat (especially Seraphine, who was a pirate and highwayman) much to the initial amusement of their kwami. It's also a light reference to Marinette; if the cards had fallen slightly differently, she could very well have followed in his footsteps in her efforts to gain Adrien's romantic attention the way that Lila did.

Caleb – means devotion, whole-hearted, brave and faithful. Caleb was Seraphine's immediate predecessor and his murder was avenged by her when she took up the ring instead of Trixx's power, but he got into that situation because he was brave enough to stand up to his friend and was devoted enough that he took a fatal blow for Seraphine when Tristan didn't take their negative response to his plans very well. Like the other two from this incident he has a surname, which means his name is two-fold . . .

Accolan – is an alternative version of Accolon. In Arthurian legend, Sir Accolon was the knight who was killed 'accidentally' by Arthur in a duel through trickery and deceit, as well as a lover of Morgan le Fay. Tristan Marin doesn't actually set out to kill Caleb Accolan, but does so accidentally when trying to stop Seraphine (at the time a bearer of the Miraculous of Illusions) from thwarting his theft of the Ring. In the end, it's Caleb's own pride and the skill of his opponent that is his downfall. Sir Accolon is later avenged by Morgan; Seraphine manages to avenge Caleb after taking up his mantle.

So there you have it. The meanings and reasons those names were all chosen for those specific characters, for those few that actually wonder about that kind of thing. I hope you enjoyed the one-shot, and that you at least found this mildly interesting.

Stay safe!

Ebony x