#Once again. not trying to be negative whatsoever. I'm just curious!

[your-brilliant-lady-m]

Part 3 - Basic Concepts of Miraculous Ladybug: Transformations, Potions and Power-Up's

Welcome to my analysis of basic concepts in Miraculous. Let's talk about transformations, potions and power-up's. This one is going to be interesting.

Apparently, only child superheroes have a time limit and can use their power only once. And adults can use their powers many times and maintain their transformation.

I don't take Thomas Astruc's Twitter statements seriously, but he said that adults don't have to detransform because they can feed the kwami with their energy. What happens when energy runs out? Does it mean that holder of the miraculous dies and transformation drops? Or does transformation drops when the kwami grows tired enough? However, according to "Silencer", transformation can't be released until the holder says detransformation words or uses their power (applies to children only). Is that why Master Fu doesn't transform these days? Because he is old and doesn't have enough energy for Wayzz.

At the same time, Bunnix/Bunnyx held her transformation for several thousand years in "Timetagger" and she was still alive. Moreover, not only she was still alive, she hasn't aged a day. Alix still looked around 25 even after spending so much time in stone. Her sanity was also still intact. Does that mean that as long as people are transformed they are immortal and can't die of natural causes, can't get sick or be killed? Does the Miraculous pause all inner processes? Do people stop ageing when they are transformed? Does that mean that prolonged transformations essentially slowed down puberty for Marinette and Adrien because every Akuma attack (their transformation during this attack to be precise) acts as a pause for their growth process? Does that mean that transformed heroes don't need food, sleep or oxygen? And Alix doesn't experience any negative side-effects after prolonged transformation. A lot of questions must be answered here.

But apparently, the "adults can use their power many times without detransforming" rule does not apply to Gabriel. In "Heroes' Day" he turns Nathalie into Catalyst who gives Hawkmoth the power to "release as many akumas as he desires". Does that mean that he can't normally do it? On the other hand, in "Queen Banana" he creates another Akuma right after the fight with akumatized Chloe ended.

Do you remember this? In "Origins" we find out that akumatized butterflies can multiply. That's why Ladybug needs to purify them. So, does that mean that Scarlet Moth and Catalyst weren't necessary?

Hawkmoth's plan in "Heroes' Day" was actually very smart. However, it can fall apart when you remember that butterflies can multiply. How does that work? Why do they multiply? Could Gabriel akumatize Nathalie into Catalyst (akumatized object is something not very valuable, like a piece of paper), then break the akumatized object and release the Akuma into the world? Would that turn people only into copies of Catalyst? I wouldn't call this thing a plothole, exactly. I'm just curious because it's an unclear moment. Perhaps you could explain it as the element of a soft magic system with unclear rules. Because the magic system in Miraculous is a mix between the hard and soft system.

Adults without time-limited power have a serious advantage over children. Why does Master Fu give Ladybug and Black Cat to teenagers then? In the beginning, Fu doesn't know that Butterfly holder is an adult. Isn't it safer to give 2 most powerful Miraculouses to adults just in case? If Butterfly Holder is a child then 2 adults with more powerful Miraculous would win much faster. If Butterfly Holder is an adult as well, then the fight is more even.

We know the out-of-universe reason for doing this. There would be no story then. Miraculous holders have to be kids since it's a kids show. But in-universe it doesn't make sense. In "Furious Fu" Su Han even says that children are not allowed to handle the Miraculous at all according to the rules of the Order. Fu knows that children have a time limit. It looks like he deliberately sets them up for failure. Why?

Is that because children are easier to manipulate as they are most likely to trust Fu's judgement no questions asked? This reasoning doesn't look good for Fu, who is supposed to be a wise and kind mentor. Is that because children won't abuse their powers? Find a trustworthy adult then. Give us some kind of in-universe explanation!

If you can't explain it then do something with the time-limit rule. It's an important plot device, which contributes to tension and raises the stakes during fights. So, removing it is unwise. Consider giving adults a time limit as well then.

Or you can create different rules. Maybe Black Cat and Ladybug can't be wielded by adults, unlike other lower-tier Miraculous? Maybe Miraculous and Kwami can choose the wielder in some capacity, and this magical bond can't be changed? Do Kwamis feel a pull towards several people and Guardian then chooses the final holder? If there's no pull whatsoever, then Kwami won't be able to grant powers to this person? How much weight does the decision of a Guardian have?

I actually like this last idea the most. It makes sense and avoids plotholes at the same time preserving the time-limit rule. I spent less than 20 minutes figuring this out.

This way Fu gave Ladybug and Black Cat to children because he didn't have a choice. Plagg and Tikki gave him suggestions but these people didn't pass his tests. Marinette and Adrien are the last ones and they do pass. It adds some tension and showcases desperation on Master Fu's part. Magical pull doesn't always mean that potential holders are good people. That's why Miraculous sometimes end up in the wrong hands.

Insert a conversation between Marinette and Tikki or Plagg and Adrien about this choosing process, have them wonder about the bond Nooroo and Hawkmoth share.

Then add more information about bonding. The magical connection can be formed just like people form relationships if human and Kwami spend some time together. It nicely adds up with the reason why Master Fu gave Ladybug and Black Cat to teenagers. He could have given both jewels to adults without a bond and waited for the connection to form but alas, there was no time. He needed active holders right now, and waiting for some adult to come around wasn't an option. But here's the catch. Only decent, kind people with good intentions can earn and create a magical bond. And this has the potential for a truly delicious scenario (more on that later).

It's a very tricky situation. But these rules must be stated and figured out in the very beginning. Because it can create plotholes down the line.

Unification

Combining several different Miraculous is an interesting concept and fusion of powers has been used for a long time as a storytelling element. It's important for the plot in several episodes of seasons 3 and 4.

However, there's "Kwamibuster", where the worldbuilding is broken one more time. It is awfully inconsistent within itself just like "Chat Blanc", "Timetagger" and "Furious Fu". (How do writers keep doing this? I have no idea. But then again even "Avengers: Endgame" contradicts itself numerous times. It's truly miraculous how they managed to do this with their budget, I'm impressed).

For a moment let's ignore all absolutely awful priorities that Marinette has in this episode as well as the rule "you can't know the identity of your partner or else you will have to give up your miraculous". This rule is literally never mentioned again before or after this episode. It's just there and it doesn't make sense. I know it's hard to ignore, but one must try. Instead, let's focus on this dialogue below.

Master Fu clearly states that you can't merge the Miraculous. It could make you lose your mind. The only more or less acceptable unification is that of Ladybug and Black Cat.

What happens next? Marinette puts on every Miraculous without any problem just "to free Kwamis" and transforms into Multimouse. The only sign of her discomfort is a moment of dizziness that's gone in a few seconds. Moreover, it never happens again, it's never mentioned. Then she does the exact thing that Fu told her not to do and starts merging Miraculous left and right. She continues to do so in season 4 every other day. What? Of course, how could I forget Shadowmoth? Gabriel merges 2 Miraculous every time in season 4. He doesn't lose his mind.

You can't tell us that merging can make you lose your mind and then in the next scene show us the complete opposite. That's bad writing. If you need the concept of unification to work then cancel the "lose your mind" rule and instead say that the merging process tires you out. There's no lasting harm, just that you will be very tired. If you want to raise the stakes, then say that wielding more than one Miraculous requires a strong will and practice. It's possible, but you can't perform unification just like that.

In this case, you lay the groundwork for the plotline of Marinette and Adrien for season 4 and 5. This plotline is about mastering unification. Show us how our heroes practice with different combinations of Miraculouses outside of Akuma battles. Show how they are improving. Maybe, Ladybug and Chat Noir nearly lose in the season 3 finale because the unification still drains them. However, in season 4 they put more effort into their training and by the time season 5 rolls around they are good at this. They became a stronger team and partners because of that. Their training sessions are also a good set-up for the development of the love square. Nothing like this will happen, but a girl can dream.

Look, I get it. You want Marinette to be special. Unfortunately, you have made her too special. She starts to break the laws of your magic system. We don't see the process. One moment she has 0 knowledge about something and then she is already an accomplished master of the thing in question and often it happens in the same episode. Marinette somehow just knows about the properties of every Miraculous on-screen, but her training happened off-screen. We as the audience are left confused and wondering. Wait, how does she know this? Was there a missing episode? Was this mentioned in some comic? The audience keenly feels the lack of plot-relevant content and explanations.

Potions and Power-Ups

They are a marketing ploy to sell more toys and merch with character transformations. That's it. Are they useful for the story? Yes, they are sometimes. Do power-up's make sense as a worldbuilding element? I'm sorry to tell you this, but no.

Miraculous Grimoire contains lots of potion recipes for Kwamis. I liked that Kwamis can't read the grimoire to avoid giving information to malevolent holders, which implies that they can't lie to their holder about their powers. I talked about this in my previous posts.

Let's start with Ice Transformation. Apparently, in-universe its only useful characteristic and the thing that sets it apart from normal transformation is skates. Maybe, this transformation also has additional protection from the cold. Maybe. Miraculous makes heroes nearly invulnerable and enhances their physical abilities. I find it hard to believe that protection from elements is not included in the package. And that's it. If we remember that Miraculous holders have subconscious control over transformation's appearance, we can also assume that a person can have conscious control as well. The laws of the magic system in Miraculous allow Marinette to ask Tikki to create skates for this particular transformation. Potions aren't necessary for this. This way you can still sell new toy, but in-universe this works better.

Our next stop is Aqua Transformation. It gives heroes the ability to breathe underwater and fins. That's all. In "Syren" it appears that this transformation also makes them more agile and fast in the water. However, Ladybug's yo-yo worked just fine before Aqua form when she tried to drag Kim to the surface. Her movements underwater weren't restricted either with normal transformation. So their fighting ability is not affected by the potion.

Kwami can live without oxygen. I mentioned earlier that Bunnix with normal transformation in "Timetagger" spent several thousand years in stone without oxygen and probably in some kind of stasis. Do transformed heroes need oxygen? No. Then their inability to breathe underwater doesn't make sense. Therefore, a potion isn't necessary for this.

Next, let's talk about fins. They could appear through the conscious desire of the holder just like skates.

Honestly, "Timetagger" and "Chat Blanc" completely destroyed worldbuilding in Miraculous. These episodes just shouldn't exist. They aren't even consistent within themselves, nevermind the rest of the show, which is why I still don't understand why fandom has such a weird hard-on for them and for Bunnix. Oh, wait. On second thought, I get it. They were just fanservice after all.

Cosmo Bug an Astro Chat. Space power-up give heroes the ability to fly and exist without oxygen. Ancient grimoire had the recipe of space potion, apparently. And humans got into space in the second half of the 20-th century. Ok. That totally makes sense.

If ancient people invented a space potion, that could also mean that back in Ancient Egypt Ladybug and Black Cat holders could use advanced technology. But Su Han in "Furious Fu" is surprised to discover that Ladybug can just call Chat Noir. He assumed she would send a bird with a message. That means that unconscious control over transformation extends to the weapons of heroes. For Marinette and Adrien communication means smartphone with navigation, messages, trackers and Bluetooth earbuds. That's why magic gives them smart weapons. Su Han's words prove that the invention of the space potion is not possible. Unless space potion was also subjected to unconscious control over transformation. People couldn't imagine the possibility of space travel in Ancient Egypt, but they could imagine flight. So, perhaps, for heroes back then space potion simply meant wings.

We've established that heroes don't need oxygen. So, a potion isn't necessary for this. The ability to fly also could be achieved through conscious transformation.

That's all for this part of analysis. Let me know what you think. Stay tuned for the next meta. See you!

[speedreiding]

No Longer Lonely (Spencer Reid x Reader)

A/N: Hey guys! I didn’t include the lyrics because I’m really bad at writing fics based off of song so I hope that is okay. Anyways I really like this imagine and I hope you guys do too! Warnings: fluff, negative self talk (LOVE YOUR BEAUTIFUL SELVES) Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader Prompt: imagine based off of sad song by Christina Perri where Spencer and the reader are in college, and she’s lonely and Spencer helps her through the loneliness Requested by: anon Upcoming Imagine: reader is dating Derek and… - You sat by yourself on the floor of your dorm room with your books sprawled out in front of you just like the past few nights. Your roommate had left back to her family for the summer, which you hated because it left you alone. You hated being alone. You had to walk to class by yourself. Eat by yourself. Live by yourself. You didn’t have many friends in college, just acquaintances. But you did have Spencer. He lived next door, but you never would bother him to keep you company. You have always paid attention to Spencer during certain classes. You noticed how quick he worked and how independent he was. He was a nice boy, super sweet even. He always smiled at you and offered to bring you something if he were getting up to get coffee during study hall. And one night, as you were sitting on the floor about to fall asleep, you heard a knock on your door. You curiously stood up and opened it to see Spencer standing there in his plaid pajama bottoms and a science tshirt. “Hi.” He said with a smile. “Uh hi Spencer.” You said leaning against your doorframe. “Whatcha doing?” He asked raising onto his tip toes. “Studying. You?” “I was reading but I decided to visit you.” He said with a small smile. “Why?” You asked, realizing how harsh it sounded after the word left your mouth. Spencer didn’t have many friends either, in fact he was picked on rather often. “I didn’t mean to sound rude, I’m just really curious as to why you decided to visit at midnight of all times.” You asked with a small laugh. “Well I notice whenever your roommate leaves you look a lot more… sad, and I heard your music and I knew you were up so I thought I could keep you company if you wanted.” He said with a sweet smile. You grinned at his kindness. “Come in.” You said stepping out of the entrance. He awkwardly walked into your dorm room, admiring the tidy room. “Do you ever sleep?” You asked after shutting your door. “Yeah do you ever not study? I swear that’s all you do.” He said with a giggle. “Yes I do. In fact I have a lot of fun when I’m not studying.” You said realizing how much of a lie that was. “Really like what?” He said sitting down on your couch. Your eyes dropped to the floor, realizing he was right; you were no fun. All you did was sit in your room and try to study even though you spend half of your time “studying” on Tumblr. “I'm… I’m not fun.” You said sadly as you slid down the wall to the floor again. Spencer’s brows furrowed as he walked over to you. “I didn’t mean to make you upset.” He said sitting in front of you. “It’s okay, you didn’t do anything.” You said trying to swallow the lump in your throat. “Hey I’m no fun either.” He said oddly perkily. “I like to read The Great Debate About the Nature of Reality on a daily basis.” He said making you laugh quietly. “Do you not like being by yourself?” He asked quietly as he played with his thumbs. You looked up into his eyes and nodded. “Me either.” He said. “Maybe we could keep each other company, until your roommate comes back. I’ll be more than happy to spend time with you.” He said reaching across and grabbing your hand. You were surprised by the gesture, recalling that he doesn’t like shaking hands. You smiled at him and gripped his fingers. “What were you studying?” He asked propping his head on his hand as you held the other. “I was reading chapter 5 for chemistry.” You said playing with his fingers. “I could read it to you.” He said standing up and pulling you with him. His hand delicately slipped out of your hand as you both walked to the couch, your chemistry book in his hands. You sat a reasonable distance away from him, but gradually as he started reading, you both had shifted over and closed the space between you. You sat shoulder to shoulder as his soft voice read the boring words of chemistry. His calming voice started luring you to sleep, and your eyelids fluttered closed. You were only resting your eyes, but once you fell asleep, you were no longer resting your eyes, you were resting your head on his shoulder. Spencer stopped reading as he realizes you were asleep. He marked your page and gently laid you down and covered you with a blanket. He took one last look at you, and went back to his room to sleep. - The next morning as you were walking to class, you heard someone calling your name. You turned around and saw Spencer sort of running towards you. It was a combination of a jog and a he-is-almost-dropping-everything as he approached you. “Hey I brought you a coffee.” He said handing you the cup as he readjusted his books in his arms. “Thank you Spencer.” You said before taking a sip, your brow furrowing. “How do you know how I take my coffee?” You asked as the familiar everyday coffee taste rested on your tongue. “Well that one time you actually didn’t decline my offer to get you coffee, I remembered what you wanted.” He said with a smile. You laughed softly as you gripped the straps of your bag. - Throughout the week Spencer had greeting you the same every morning, with coffee and his same silly clumsy self. You actually felt yourself smile more around him. The sense of loneliness slowly fading, until you overheard people talking. There had always been frat parties about every other weekend, which you didn’t care whatsoever to go to, but one of the hosts walked up to Spencer and invited him to stop by, when you were right next to him. Spencer kindly declined, saying he had plans that day, which he did and they were with you, to study for a calculus test coming up. The boy nodded, glanced at you and walked away, and the next time Spencer turned to look at you, you were gone. You had fled into the bathroom as tears streamed down your cheeks. Were you really that much of a loser? Were you not cool enough to be invited to one of those dumb frat parties? You shouldn’t care, even if you were invited you would have said no. You heard a girl yell at someone followed by quick clicks of heels as she left. “Y/N?” You heard a familiar voice say. Is that… Spencer? “Y/N I really hope your in here, because if not I would have just walked into the girls bathroom for no reason.” He said making a small laugh escape your lips. You unlocked the stall and remained seated on the toilet seat at you wiped your tears. He slowly pushed it open and frowned at your sad state. “You should go to that party. You would meet a lot of new people and make friends.” You said looking down. “I would never in a million years go to a frat party. It’s not my crowd, and besides I would much rather hang out with you.” He said trying to lift your spirits. “Do I suck that bad?” You said throwing your arms down. “I have no friends and I never would even be thought about being invited anywhere. I’m always going to be alone while everyone else goes places.” You said as another lump developed in your throat. “You don’t have to be alone.” Spencer said reaching for your hand. “I’ve always tried to talk to you and make you feel better. I know that you’re worth my time and I love being around you.” He said sweetly. “I’ve always paid attention to you. That’s why I remembered how you like your coffee, and how you highlight your notes and how you hesitate to ask the professor questions, that’s why you ask me them later.” He said. “I’ve always paid attention to you Y/N. Your always on my mind.” He added making your heart melt. “Really?” “Really.” He said with a smile. You leapt off of the toilet seat and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around you and hugged you back. “You know the girls bathroom is a lot better than the boys.” He said into your shoulder making you crack up hysterically. He pulled away from the hug and pulled you up by your hands. “Hop on.” He said turning around and reaching back. “Spencer you can’t carry me.” You said wiping under your eyes for any running makeup. “I think I can.” He said pulling you onto his back. After shifting around a little bit he carried you around the campus, making airplane sounds as you laughed until happy tears came out. When he took you outside, he laid you in the grass and sat down next to you. “I think your my best friend.” You said laying down as you both stared at the clouds. “I’m your only friend.” He said jokingly, making another smile creep upon your lips. “Yeah but you’re all I need.” You said. As you sat in the grass with your best friend, you realized how happy you were. How loved you were. You realized that you were no longer lonely, and you had Spencer.