#ikari gozen

[2manyfandoms2count]

It's very interesting that (in the French dub, at least) Monarch is giving noble names to his villains this season:

Ikari Gozen: she'd already made an appearance and he didn't change her name, but the "Gozen" part is a Japanese title that seems to be the equivalent of "Lady/Dame"

Grand Duc (Darker Owl): a Grand Duc is a species of owls, and as you might guess, a Duc is a Duke, so there's a double meaning there.

I'm waiting for Illusion to air to watch the other available episodes (please don't spoil me yet!), we'll see if the trend is maintained! If so, I'll add the names/their meaning in a reblog.

[adrinoir]

Lesbian Headcanons Pt. 2: Kagami

I feel like this is a pretty popular headcanon already. In fact, I’ve already talked about it a bit lol. But truthfully, there’s still so much more to break down. So let’s get into it!

It seems she misconstrued her own feelings towards Adrien

Kagami has shown a lot of comphet type behavior, especially when she was trying to get with Adrien. Lemme explain.

One sign of compulsory heterosexuality is mistaking your platonic relationship with a boy as romantic feelings. In Ikari Gozen, it was proven that Kagami’s mother is so strict that she won’t even let her try to make friends other than Adrien. But even though they’re friends, Tomoe won’t even allow her to have Adrien’s number.

So, with these strict rules limiting her to just one friendship (at the beginning of her debut in the show), she only has Adrien to see as a friend and potential romantic partner. Seeing as how he’s the sweet and cute guy, it’s easy to mistake this kind, relatable connection + aesthetic attraction as a romantic one. That’s not to say she doesn’t care about Adrien, she clearly does a whole lot. But, notice how once she tries to date him, she’s quick to notice the red flags yet she still forces and convinces herself that she wants to be with him.

A veil was lifted after dating Adrien

Like I had just mentioned, she got a pretty good idea of Adrien once she started dating him. She chose to ignore his behavior at first and convinced herself that she’s in love with him but was able to quickly break up with him when this behavior kept continuing.

Kagami is a very smart cookie. I’m glad she noticed that Adrien was being secretive and figured out he wasn’t right for her. Very quickly after their relationship ended, she started encouraging Marinette to confess her feelings to him. She also very quickly believed that Marinette and Adrien are the ones who are right for each other.

What’s interesting is how she’s suddenly completely supportive of Marinette’s feelings for Adrien and Adrien’s feelings for Marinette. Getting over her breakup with him wasn’t hard. She didn’t try to tear the two of them apart; there was no sabotaging nor jealousy involved. So that leaves the question: how did she suddenly become so supportive?

Kagami is a genuinely caring person. She’s also very strong and capable of taking care of herself. But, breakups still aren’t easy for most people. I’m suspicious there’s more reasons as to how she was able to move on so quickly. That ties into my theory that she realized she has romantic feelings for Marinette (which I’ll talk about more in the next section).

OR, she just realized she’s not into men as a whole like she thought she was. Now that she’s been put out into the world by Marinette, she’s able to see and talk to more girls. Having more social interactions with people can easily help determine what attracts her and what doesn’t. She no longer only has Adrien as a friend and potential romantic partner, she has many other possibilities now.

Her behavior around Marinette is different

Kagami was comfortable with Adrien from the start. From the get go, he was more taken aback by her.

However, Kagami was pretty nervous the first time she had one-on-one time with Marinette in Ikari Gozen. Kagami, who’s usually pretty confident and up front, got scared to talk to Marinette.

I have a theory that she has a bit of a crush on Marinette. All of that sudden nervous behavior and struggling so much just to try to make conversation with her is pretty telling. You’d expect someone like Kagami to be fine making conversation with someone, considering she was able to fight and speak to cute super model Adrien Agreste. But nope. Marinette makes her a bit timid, very much as if she has a crush on her.

She wanted to know more about Marinette and to genuinely become her friend. It’s sweet. Obviously it wasn’t good when Marinette didn’t trust her at first. But, it’s good she learned very quickly that Kagami just wants to be accepted and have friends at the very least.

I love their dynamic after that day, too. Marinette really grew to like and care about Kagami. She’s comfortable enough having her number and checking on her (even in person). They have potential to be a great couple if Adrien wasn’t in the picture. But because he’s Marinette’s love, Kagami didn’t want to get in the way. It’s still a o sad, I hope she finds someone. It’d be really cool if she ended up finding a girlfriend.

She was able to click with Marinette easily - just like Zoe was able to

Marinette is shown as a very likable character. She has a lot of friends, especially ones in school.

However, what I loved is that they had specific episodes with a strong focus on her befriending Kagami and Zoe, not just Alya. Like, why would they have episodes with such a heavy focus on these friendships if they didn’t mean a whole lot?

From the beginning, like I had mentioned in my precious section, Kagami was nervous around Marinette like a crush and since then, they’ve developed a very good bond rather quickly. It mirrors Zoe in a sense, not in a way of how Zoe was able to up and give Marinette her number during their very first conversation, but in how their bond became so strong in such a quick amount of time. 

Marinette has shown signs of struggling to open up to people, including those in her own friend group. In fact, she doesn’t individually hang out with any of the other girls in her school friend circle besides Alya, and then of course Kagami and Zoe who aren’t even in her class.

So, considering she was so quick to trust Kagami and Zoe - especially as miraculous holders - shows that there’s a different bond there in comparison to the rest of her classmate girl friends.

It was also incredible seeing Marinette prioritize Kagami first when she heard about her and Adrien’s breakup. Kagami was also very quick to deny that she still had any romantic feelings for Adrien.

That situation mirrors Marinette trying to stick by Zoe when she noticed her behavior changed because of Chloe’s influence. Marinette didn’t prioritize trying to sabotage Chloe in any sort of way, she just wanted to be there for Zoe and her new adjustment living in Paris instead of New York.

Another important reason that I compare Zoe and Kagami is that Zoe is canonically queer (as seen in Deflagration), and Kagami’s behavior and relationship with Marinette are similar to hers. Even though Kagami isn’t openly flirtatious with any girls, she still shows some obvious signs that she may not be straight and that she has a strong relationship with Marinette for a reason (ahem, she likes her).

Something else to compare could be how Zoe was originally scared to be more open with people about who she truly is. Despite Kagami being very up front and honest, she hides parts of herself away that she’s slowly becoming more open about, like Zoe did. I’m willing to bet if Tomoe wasn’t a strict mother, Kagami would be able to be more open about herself and find out what she enjoys instead of being very uptight.

She got defensive when she first interacted with Chloe

Ah, yes. My other sapphic girl, Chloe. I had mentioned this interaction in part one of my lesbian headcanon posts. But since this directly relates to Kagami, let’s talk about her again.

Her and Kagami were only shown speaking in Animaestro, however it’s a very interesting and unusual kind of interaction. Lemme explain.

Chloe is usually very bossy towards just about everyone who she believes is below her (popularity and wealth wise). She didn’t even know Kagami and told her to get out of “her seat.” But Kagami didn’t take any of that.

Kagami instead defended herself right away. Threw the harshness right back in Chloe’s face, enough to scare/intimidate her - someone who’s always the big bad bully. Kagami wasn’t scared of her and instead was the one to scare Chloe off.

One could argue that this is a stretch because “how is she nervous around her potential crush, Marinette, but not Chloe?” Well, just because she quickly defended herself doesn’t necessarily mean she wasn’t nervous. In fact, if she’s that quick to dish back at Chloe, she’s at least somewhat intimidated having her there and wanted to drive her away.

Think about how Kagami could’ve said, “Look. There’s a chair right over there. Sorry, I’m not moving.” or could’ve just left, letting Chloe take her spot. But she didn’t. She 1) either got bad vibes from Chloe and didn’t want her around, or 2) she was quickly intimidated by her too and didn’t want to have to interact with her for that reason.

Also consider this. Kagami was still in that stage of being completely convinced that she loved Adrien. One could think that anyone else who seemed interested in Adrien needs to be tossed aside. However, she didn’t throw Marinette out of her life just because she liked Adrien. So then what was it that made her so quickly defend herself when Chloe came in? I’m thinking intimidation. She’s this stunning, upper class girl who isn’t afraid to be up front just like Kagami. That could be easily intimidating for someone like Kagami, especially if she’s sapphic. Chloe mirrors her intimidation and comphet behavior.

Conclusion

Holy toledo are there a lot of signs that Kagami is gay. That was a lot to break down but it makes a lot of sense.

Kagami’s behavior, interactions, appearance, etc just give off very closeted lesbian vibes. I sense it.

Now, I’ve said I really like the Lukagami ship too. I still stand by that. However, it would make even more sense if it turns out that she isn’t straight but lesbian.

Kagami still has a lot to figure out about herself. Her being canonically gay and finally realizing this in the show would be an incredible character arc.

[papyrusgayfont]

* Oh hey the line where Marinette says winter inspires her has extra meaning now, given the new info that she wanted to knit the Eiffel Tower a hat when she was little to protect it from the snow, so that’s how she got into fashion and designing

* it also ties into her wanting to be the knitting fairy

[milarqui]

Scarlet Lady: Ikari Gozen

Directory | Desperada

Everybody sighed in relief as classes for the day finally ended, and everyone stretched out as they put their stuff back into their backpacks and bags.

And, of course, the talk of the day was the 'Friendship Day' the city was organizing on the weekend, for people to enjoy time with their friends at cafes, shops, and other entertainment options.

“Hey, mec, got plans for 'Friendship Day'?” Nino asked Adrien, who gave a strange smile.

“Actually, I'm the 'Hidden Celebrity' for KIDZ+'s hunt,” he admitted, and Nino gave a jerk of surprise.

“Whoa!” That meant he'd likely be stuck somewhere while waiting for the contest to end.

“I don't mind!” Adrien added, still smiling. “I like meeting fans!”

Behind his back, his friends began to think.

Adrien's the prize?

Then a terrible idea came to mind.

What if the winner is a crazy fan?! Or a creepy old person?!

The mere idea that their friend could be in danger made them sweat in horror. And they all reached the same conclusion.

One of us has to win the game!

----

Ondine smiled as she read the message she had just received.

“Kagami, did you get Marinette's message about the KIDZ+ Buddy Game?”

“Yes,” her friend declared, as she pressed on her smartphone's screen. “And now it's deleted.”

“Wuh–?! Why?!” Ondine asked, shocked.

“My mother goes through my phone,” Kagami said, as if it were normal, and Ondine felt angry on her best (female) friend's behalf. “So I delete messages and don't save any contacts.”

“Huh? How are you able to text me without my number?” she asked again, and Kagami gave a small, bright smile.

“I've memorized it. And Marinette's. And Adrien's and Alya's and Kim's and --”

“Wow!” She doubted she could memorize more than her family's and Kim's numbers, and here Kagami was doing that with everyone she knew!

----

“Okay, Buddies!” Aurore announced as the countdown began. “When Adrien pushes this button, you'll get your first riddle!”

“This will lead you to your buddy!” Mireille continued, holding the large tablet with the image of a button. “From there you'll solve more riddles that'll lead you to Adrien!”

“I'll be waiting for the winners!” Adrien said, as the studio began the final countdown.

“3, 2, 1, GO!”

And Adrien pressed the button.

----

“'I'm the highest heart of the city',” Alya read, grinning. “Ah, the Sacre-Cœur! See ya!”

----

“'Where animals live next to dinosaurs,'” Rose read, smiling as she came with the solution. “Oh, the zoo by the paleontology museum! Fun!”

----

“'Once home of royalty, now home of art',” Alix read, smirking and pumping a fist. Seriously, the clue was aimed at what was pretty much her home! “The Louvre! Easy!”

----

“'With one turn of a handle I can raise the level'?” Marinette read, grimacing at the apparent nonsense she had been sent. “What's with this difficulty spike?!”

----

Kagami jumped back as her mother's bokken came too close to her face, before she could try to deflect it.

“Too slow! Remember the story of Tomoe Gozen!” her mother screamed. “A female samurai when warrior women were rare and scorned!”

Kagami took off her mask as her mother stepped back, marking the end of the bout.

“As elusive as the wind! As powerful as the flood! As swift as lightning!”

Ugh, this story again, she thought. Her mother wasn't much of a talker, but she loved to tell the tale of Tomoe Gozen. No matter how many times she had said it, she would always do so at least once more. Also, a deeper part of Kagami pondered her mother's hypocrisy in telling her to be like a woman who had gone after the expectations of society while stifling her opportunities to have a normal life.

DING!

Oops, she forgot to turn off her smartphone's warnings.

“What was that.”

And that was why she shouldn't have forgot.

“Um...”

Great, now she had to see how to get away with it.

----

She hadn't got away with it.

“It's for a game, Okaa-san,” she said.

“You don't have permission to play a 'game',” her mother declared, as if that were the end of the discussion.

“Adrien is participating,” Kagami pointed out. Not that it seemed to sway her.

“Hmph,” Tomoe Tsurugi growled. “Then Gabriel is more foolish than I thought, being so permissive.”

Given how much of a... alright, control freak Gabriel Agreste was, that said more about her mother than about the man.

“Regardless, this and that have nothing to do with each other. I forbid you to play.”

That did it. Every time she had wanted to do something for herself, to have what other people would consider normal, she had to hide, escape, lie. Because heaven forbid that Tomoe Tsurugi's daughter was more than a doll for her to play with when she wanted and kept in a box the rest of the time.

Today, she would do it again.

I'm gonna play even harder now! Kagami furiously thought, while her mother remained unaware of what was going to happen.

“Tatsu, to the Grand Palais,” Tomoe ordered. Unbeknownst to the woman, Kagami had recorded her voice. Hopefully, she'd be able to find where she had to go first and have the car lead her there.

----

As pairs of teenagers checked their phones and run around Paris to follow the clues of the Friendship Challenge, a certain someone was looking at them and discarding them.

“Too dumb looking. Too unfashionable. Too ridiculous!” Chloé Bourgeois said aloud, pointing at the different pairs, while Ondine and her friend Freddy looked at her with confusion and a bit of irritation.

“Chloé, what are you doing?” Tikki whispered from the bag.

“I'm looking for a smart-looking pair of 'buddies', duh,” she said. “That way I don't have to do the dirty work of finding Adrien! I'm so smart!”

Tikki raised an eyebrow.

“Why didn't you just sign up to play?” she pointed out.

“My application was denied for some reason,” Chloé pouted, and Tikki rolled her eyes. Right, the prohibition from the bowler hat competition...

----

It had taken a while for her to realize the meeting point was Canal Saint-Martin: one turn of a handle, and the water level would change for the connection between the Seine and the Canal de l'Ourcq. A different turn, and it became drained, which happened at least once per decade, as needed.

The best, though, what who she found at the point.

“Kagami's my buddy, yay!” she cheered, and Kagami replied with a smile.

“I'm glad too.”

Immediately, Marinette moved on to hook an arm around Kagami's and the two began to make their way out, and towards their next target.

“Between the two of us we'll win for sure!” Marinette happily declared.

“Un,” Kagami agreed. “So, the second riddle...”

Marinette pressed the button to declare that she had met her buddy, and got the riddle.

“'To get closer to your goal, you must explore further and deeper',” she read out loud.

“Hm. Further down the banks of the Seine, which is deeper than this canal,” Kagami suggested.

Behind them, out of sight, a girl they both despised was stalking her.

“Target acquired!” Chloé said. As she followed them, Tikki stuck her head out of her hideaway in Chloé's hair.

“Gawd, Chloé, leave Marinette and Kagami alone!” the Kwami chastised her.

“True, they're not smart enough to win,” Chloé answered, demonstrating, for the n-th time, her inability to understand such simple concepts as 'common decency'. “But, like, they might! And that's not fair! Adrihoney already plays with Dupain-Cheng at school and not me! And then he plays with Tsurugi after school and makes no time for me! The only way to make it fair is to make sure they lose!”

“Nooo!” Tikki complained. Once more, she wondered: what had she done to deserve this?! She had saved Joan from the fire, dammit!

----

“Why'd they only give us one pole?” Marinette pondered as she cast the line. She hadn't done this much, but she thought she could do it.

“So... do you prefer to be called by your whole name or a nickname?” Kagami suddenly asked as she looked away.

“Huh? What brought this on?” Marinette asked in a low voice, but she supposed there was nothing to lose in answering. “I don't really have a nickname. Though Alya calls me 'M' sometimes.”

“I see,” Kagami said, uncertain. Marinette, knowing what she did about her buddy, was certain she wasn't sure of how to continue, so she did it for her.

“What about you?”

“No one's ever given me one before,” the fencer admitted, which made Marinette a bit sad on the inside.

“Alya will for sure!” she tried to cheer her up. “Hope you like being 'K'.”

After a couple of seconds of silence, Kagami replied.

“... can I workshop that?”

Marinette smiled widely.

“Is 'Gami' good?”

“Not bad. I'd call you 'Mari-chan', but...”

“Yeah, not in French,” Marinette replied, laughing. It would certainly be awkward to be called 'husband' by her buddy!

----

“What are they doing?” Chloé asked, mystified as she saw the two girls talking.

“Being friends?” Tikki replied, dripping so much sarcasm that she could have probably filled a barrel with it.

----

Chloé had found a box, and was trying to get away with it.

“Hey, look, that's the box!”

Chloé threw the box away and ran.

----

Chloé had moved the box under one table.

“Marinette, I have found the box. It's strange that it was put under this table, though,” Kagami said.

Chloé bit her nails in anger.

----

Chloé had found another box, and quickly went to throw it out of the building.

“This is the box we were meant to find!”

“Good. We're getting closer to our goal!”

Chloé twitched as she realized she had actually helped those two!

Tikki just snickered.

----

“Last step: Trust Challenge. Take a selfie in front of a monument using each other's phone,” Kagami said, as she handed Marinette her phone, “then regroup and take a selfie together. Only then will you get Adrien's location.”

“We're so close!” Marinette replied as she passed her phone to Kagami. Since they were at the Place de la Concorde, there were plenty of monuments to take a selfie with!

“We'll meet back here and win!”

With cellphones exchanged, the two girls rushed to find different monuments to certify the first half of the challenge, and Pollen came out of the bag.

“You did it, My Queen!” the Kwami cheered.

“Almost! Teaming up with Kagami has been a total dream~!”

“DUPAIN-CHENG!”

“AHHH, CHLOÉ! MY NIGHTMARE!”

Great, even now Chloé was out to ruin her life.

“C-Chloé, wha–?!” Marinette asked, but Chloé interrupted.

“You finally got the last clue, right?” the major irritant asked, pointing at Kagami's phone in her hand. Before she could react, Chloé stole it off her hand and began to laugh. “Now I'm going to meet with myyy Adrien!”

“Hey!” she finally reacted, and began to run after her.

Only for a very furious Kagami to intercept the eyesore.

“EEP!”

----

In his lair underneath the Agreste Mansion, Hawkmoth perked up.

“Hm?”

Another potential Akuma?

----

“GIVE IT BACK!” Kagami shouted as she tackled Chloé, but found herself with an ugly sandal on her face.

“NO!” Chloé shrieked as she was tackled from behind by Marinette, grabbing her by the neck. “OH!”

“CHLOÉ!” Marinette shouted as well, grappling with her life's personal demon, when the phone began to ring.

And Chloé picked up.

“Hello~?”

“KAGAMI!” Tomoe Tsurugi's voice shouted from the other side, causing Kagami to let go in shock, allowing Chloé to escape. “WHERE ARE YOU?! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE AT HOME!”

“Ohoho! Little Kagami snuck out to play a game?” Chloé laughed, as she ran just ahead of Marinette and Kagami.

“Why are you so fast?!” Marinette complained, which was understandable, given that Chloé was wearing sandals while she and Kagami wore shoes that were better for running, and yet Chloé was staying out of reach.

“SCANDALOUS!” Chloé shrieked, as if she were an American schoolgirl called Ashley.

“GAME?! BUT I FORBADE HER!”

“Uh, I know? That's why I'm telling on her?”

The distraction from that was enough for Marinette to finally tackle Chloé and recover the phone, but the damage had been done already. Still, she had to try to fix it!

“Mme., don't worry, Kagami's with a friend, staying safe–”

“Kagami doesn't have friends!”

Marinette gave the phone a weird look, as she grabbed Chloé's face when she tried to steal the phone again. Either Mme. Tsurugi was willfully ignorant of Kagami's life, or she was another Gabriel Agreste.

Then again, Gabriel Agreste was willfully ignorant of Adrien's life as well...

“Wha–? That's not true,” Marinette replied, but then Kagami gently picked the phone and started to talk.

“Actually, Okaa-san, I do have friends! Lots of friends! Wonderful friends!” she said, her expression turning thunderous as she kept talking. “Friends I chose myself because I'm DONE with you CONTROLLING MY LIFE –!”

“With pleasure, Hawkmoth.”

“UGHHHHHH!”

Heaven's sake, one couldn't even berate their parent for being a control freak without them being akumatized.

----

It was only moments later that the Akuma, a large metal statue-like golem with the same colors as the Tsurugi's car, showed up at the Place de la Concorde.

“Kagami! You disobeyed me!” Yeah, this was Kagami's mother. “You'll never go out again!”

But, as she made to grab her daughter, Kagami dodged – and the red hand grabbed Chloé.

“Wha–hey!”

“Tsk! Missed,” the Akuma said with a gravely voice, but clearly it didn't care who she had grabbed – and opened its mouth wide.

“Ooooooom–”

“EEEEEEE! EW! EW! EW! EW!”

And Chloé disappeared down the gullet of the Akuma.

Kagami and Marinette looked at each other, a bit disgusted about what they had witnessed and also a bit scared at what was going on.

“You won't get away from me, Kagami!”

Yeah, it was time to run.

----

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE BLUETOOTH, THIS IS SO LAME!” Chloé yelled from the (surprisingly) comfortable seat in the 'stomach' of the Akuma.

Tikki rolled her eyes at the priorities of her wielder.

Not to mention you can't transform here without giving away your identity, she thought.

----

Adrien checked his friends' photos on the phone as he waited for the end of the contest. Aurore and Mireille had been updating him on how people were doing (in general – they couldn't tell him who was where), and he knew that the contest would end soon. If he was lucky, it would be at least one of his friends that won. If he was very lucky...

“AKUMA ALERT, AKUMA ALERT,” the loudspeakers announced, and he quickly turned off his cellphone to put it in his pocket. “WE ASK ALL VISITORS TO KINDLY EVACUATE THE PALACE VERY CALMLY.”

“Claws Out,” Adrien said as soon as he was somewhere out of camera sight, transforming into his superhero alter ego.

“REPEAT, PLEASE EVACUATE THE PALACE CALMLY.”

That was what he was doing, evacuating as he calmly whistled on his way out.

He hoped that the Gorilla would evacuate instead of just searching for him...

----

Marigold had been lucky when Kagami suggested splitting up, to divide the Akuma's attention: it had allowed her to sneak away to transform, and then she had tracked Kagami again, so she could protect her.

“I see you two made a new friend for Friendship Day, Honeybee!”

She turned to see Chat Noir, smiling at them both, and Marigold was thankful for the levity, even if it was not the time.

“More like she's jealous of Kagami's friendships!” she replied. “She captured a civilian trying to get her!”

That left Chat Noir worried: civilians being taken hostage by the Akumas was not fun, because you had to be careful when you fought them.

“Would Venom work on an Akuma that big?” Chat Noir asked, worried.

“Probably,” she replied, remembering how it worked on Animan when he turned into a dinosaur, “but then we wouldn't be able to get the hostage out until Scarlet Lady gets here.”

“Hm...”

Given Scarlet's penchant for not showing until the eleventh hour, it was better if they found a way to save the hostage.

“We'll probably need some help,” Chat Noir suggested. “One of us should go and one should stay with Kagami–”

The girl promptly hugged Marigold's arm, leaving both heroes bemused.

“Uh, guess I'll get help then,” Chat Noir said, stunned.

----

Adrien entered the parlor as quick as he could, not forgetting to take his shoes off.

“Hello, Master,” he greeted.

“Adrien! You got away from the competition,” Master Fu noted as he drank from his teacup.

“Heh, yeah,” Adrien agreed. “Anyway Scar's her typical no show.”

“Ah,” Master Fu said, quickly opening the Miraculous Box, having expected this to happen. “Adrien Agreste, pick an ally you can trust, blah, blah, blah, greater good, you've heard it all before.”

Adrien gave a small snort as he checked the options. The Fox and Turtle were out, so was the Snake, and the Mouse – he held hope that Marinette might be able to pick it again at some point – but then he saw one that he realized would be a good fit.

“Wind, water, lightning, perfect!” he exclaimed, picking up the Dragon. Then he looked closer. “Is this too obvious for her?”

Plagg just shrugged.

----

Marigold jumped on top of the chimney while carrying Kagami in her arms, and kept rushing – Ikari Gozen was getting closer, and she needed to buy time until the reinforcemens arrived.

“We just gotta hang in there until Chat Noir gets back (or the off chance Scarlet Lady shows up)!”

Then, she looked down at Kagami... who was smiling a bit too much for someone who was being the target of an Akuma.

“No rush,” the Japanese girl said.

… was that a blush?

----

Chat Noir gracefully landed next to his partners for the day, box secure in his hand, and gave a short bow to them.

“Ladies~” he greeted.

“Chat Noir!” Marigold greeted back. “Have you got something for our friend?”

“You bet!”

“Huh?” Kagami said, clearly confused.

It was time to undo that confusion.

“Kagami Tsurugi, this is the Dragon Miraculous,” he said as he offered the box with the choker. “With it, you'll help me and Marigold save your mother. When we're done, you'll return the Miraculous to me. Can we trust you?”

“Yes,” Kagami replied, gently picking the box from his hand. “I am grateful you recognize me as the perfect candidate.”

“Um...” he mumbled, not quite believing the fact that Kagami was preening. And Marigold seemed to be about to burst out laughing.

----

As she opened the box, she covered her eyes in reflex from the burst of light in front of her.

“Ah–!”

“Greetings, young lady, and good day to you,” a voice that sounded old and wise said. “Fear not, I am Longg, the Dragon Kwami.”

As she looked up, she saw a creature floating in front of her. About the size of her hand, mostly red and black with eight horns around his head, golden eyes, two long whiskers, two spikes on its (her? The voice did sound female) back, and a long tail. It (she?) looked like a dragon of Chinese mythology.

But, still...

“A what?” The term was unfamiliar.

“A kwa-mi,” the creature – Longg – repeated. “Allow me to tell you the many feats that a magic being like myself will help you accomplish by saying 'Longg, Bring the Storm'.”

She picked the choker and carefully put it aoround her neck, feeling it a bit constraining, but then it suddenly fit her just fine. This was magical, right?

“Using the element of your choosing – wind, water, or lightning – you can defeat Ikari Gozen with panache–”

“Uhuh,” she interrupted. She had realized that she could be a superhero like Marigold (and Chat Noir). And also the fact that she could finally get back a bit at her mother without fearing reprisal. So, perhaps one might forgive her for being a tad too enthusiastic about it all. “Longg, Bring the Storm!”

“Wait, I'm not doooo–” Longg said, before he was absorbed into the choker.

Her clothes transformed into a red jumpsuit with black accents, with the most impressive part being the dragon tail image on her torso. She could feel the horns that were now growing on the back of her head, and the half-mask covering everything from her cheeks up, save for her nose. And, as she moved, she felt the sheathe on her lower back, with the pommel in perfect reach of her left hand.

She smiled.

“Looking good!” Chat Noir said, smiling.

“What do we call you?” Marigold asked, and she thought on it. It was the same conversation she had with Marinette earlier, but now it was important. She was a dragon. A dragon's name had to evoke power.

Well, if the kwami's name sounded like the word for dragon in Chinese... why couldn't she do the same?

“Let's go with Ryūko,” she said. And, somehow, it felt like the name just fit her.

----

Happy that Kagami (or, rather, Ryūko) was good and fit with her new circumstances, Marigold decided to check at the other side of the wall, to see if she could find either the Akuma or some idea of how to deal with it.

“Still no sign of Scar,” Chat Noir commented.

“'Scar'?” Ryūko asked, shocked. “You call your leader Scar?”

“Gross, Scar's not the leader. She's a mascot at best.”

There was no one on the street, thankfully, but then a sign caught her attention. A cosmetics shop, one she had gone to a couple of times, was having a sale on bath bombs.

Ryūko should be able to do something with water, right?

That was it!

“Guys, I have a plan!” she announced. “I need you to distract Ikari Gozen!”

“HEHEHEH!”

Turning to her left, she saw Ryūko sporting a very unusual face, the kind that came out in slasher movies. A bit like her own, too.

“Eager, aren't you?”

----

Ryūko quickly ran towards Ikari Gozen, with her sword at the ready, followed by Chat Noir, while Marigold went to get the supplies they would need to succeed.

Then she was there, next to the Akuma, and she attacked, using all the skills she had learned in the art of fighting, but Ikari Gozen, in spite of her size, was agile enough to parry and attempt to counter, which was no easy feat: her mother's akumatization was clearly not impeding her own skills.

But it was enough to keep her distracted from Marigold, and she knew it. But, still, she had questions to make.

“You push Kagami to be strong willed yet shelter her from having friends?” she asked, laying bare her mother's hypocrisy.

“You know nothing! She doesn't need friends!” Ikari Gozen shouted as she slashed the air. “Friends only betray you, abandon you! Like mine did when I went blind!

She gasped. Given how her mother behaved, she had supposed she simply didn't want to have friends... but to learn that she had been left behind?

“STOP HAVING YOUR SOAP OPERA MOMENT AND GET ME OUT!”

Oh, right, the hostage. As irritating as Bourgeois was, they still had to rescue her.

“Ryūko! Now!”

Perfect! Now it was time to trick the Akuma! She jumped up and prepared her sword for a slash.

“You should have faith in your daughter to have her choices!” she shouted, and as expected, Ikari Gozen grabbed her.

“I've had enough of your opinions!” the Akuma shouted, and she closed her eyes. This was not going to be pretty. “OOOOOOOOM–”

And down the gullet she went... into something that resembled her mother's town car. Well, at least she knew what had happened.

“Hahaha!” Bourgeois laughed. “What a loser, getting caught–”

As if to mock the other girl for her hypocrisy, the box Marigold had procured entered and fell on top of Bourgeois' head.

“OW!”

“Heh,” she chuckled as she moved to grab the box.

“Bath bombs?” Bourgeois asked as she saw the box's contents.

“You're going to want to hold your breath,” Ryūko warned.

“What–?”

“Water Dragon!”

“Hey, wai–!”

This was not going to be pretty either.

----

Suddenly, Chat Noir and Marigold saw water and soap suds coming out from the seams that formed Ikari Gozen's armor, and Ikari Gozen's face twisted to a form that looked like something had really not sat well in her stomach.

“Ugh, urgh,” she mumbled, “I'm going to–”

The two averted their eyes just in time.

“BLARGH!”

Yikes. Even if they knew it was just Ryūko in water form with the result of the bath bombs, it was still disgusting.

“WAAAAAH! I HATE YOU, PUKE-KO!”

Well, at least Chloé was out of there. Marigold felt sorrier for Ryūko, who had had to share space with her, but she paid no mind as her classmate ran out of the way. With the Akuma incapacitated by her stomach's sudden rebellion, she summoned her power.

“Venom!”

One touch, and the Akuma was finally paralyzed.

But the fight wasn't done yet.

“We can't release her without the Ladybug,” Chat Noir said, and Ryūko growled in annoyance.

“Where is Scarlet Lady?!”

Someone landed next to them, and they saw it was the devil in red with black polka dots. She was drenched in water and smelling like bath bombs. She had likely been in the bath or something when the call got out.

“Worry not, my poor, lost sidekicks, I have arrived–”

He would rather save himself all the irritation of hearing Scar speaking, and quickly jumped to push her ahead, while the angered Dragon Heroine pulled from her arm.

“Hurry up, we need the Cure!” he shouted.

“HEY!” Scar shouted.

Nobody cared.

----

One Miraculous Cure later, Ryūko approached her mother, who was recovering now from her akumatization, and holding onto the car she had fused with.

“What happened to me? Where's Kagami?” she asked, and Ryūko smiled a bit. While the woman didn't show it much... perhaps she did love her daughter? She put her arms over the one holding her cane.

“Your daughter is safe, Madame. She'll be here soon,” she told her, and her mother nodded in quiet thanks. She turned towards her heroes, who were holding a fist in the air, with a space left for her.

She smiled wider. She had seen the duo doing this after defeating Akumas... and they were willing to allow her to join them. She held her fist next to theirs.

“BIEN JOUÉ!” they shouted in unison.

“Rest assured, everyone, I got Chloé Bourgeois to safety~”

“Who are you?” Tomoe Tsurugi asked, showing that, much like the rest of the world, nobody cared about Scarlet Lady.

----

With everything fixed and back into place, Ryūko followed Chat Noir to a secluded place, where she undid the transformation and took off the choker.

“Excellent work!” Chat Noir praised her, and she nodded.

“Well, you gave me the Miraculous with a sword,” Kagami replied. “It was practically made for me.”

Longg floated around before stopping, giving her back to Kagami.

“Such rudeness to cut me off when I'm speaking!” the Dragon Kwami declared. “There's wisdom in patience, you know! Youths these days.”

“M–My apologies,” Kagami said, bowing respectfully to the divine being. “Please forgive me, Kami-sama.”

Longg perked up, and quickly turned around to begin patting Kagami in the head, which she took with a smile.

“There is also wisdom in admitting fault, so this Dragon God will forgive you,” Longg replied.

Chat Noir just rolled his eyes.

----

The car was exactly where it had reappeared after the fight, and Kagami knew that it was because her mother was waiting for her. And, as she approached, she saw her, sitting in her usual place, looking as stern as always.

“Okaa-san, I'm sorry I wasn't truthful. But I'm not sorry for making friends,” she said.

“Friends can be disappointing–”

“I know,” she interrupted. “Maybe these friendships won't last forever. But I know I won't regret making the choices I did. Because you taught me to never second guess myself.”

“'GAMI!!”

Before she could react, her buddy had jumped on her back, put legs around her waist, and hugged her like a koala hugging an eucaliptus.

“M–Marinette!” she shouted in shock.

“I'm so glad you're safe!” Marinette replied, before she turned to look at the car. “Oh, hello, Madame!”

She heard her mother sigh.

“Be home by dinner,” Tomoe Tsurugi said, and the car door gently closed before the car drove away towards her home.

----

In the time they had spent dealing with the Akuma, the two of them got a message warning that the contest had ended. Kagami received a message, and semi-dragged Marinette to meet two of her school friends.

“Hey guys!” Ondine greeted with a wave and a smile. Next to her was a girl with two large ribbon-infused hairbuns, heart-shaped earrings and plaster over her nose. “This is Freddy!”

“Hey,” the other girl said, and Marinette saluted with a smile.

“I'm glad you avoided the Akuma,” Kagami said, and their phones vibrated.

“Looks like we lost,” Freddy said, seeing Adrien in the photo accompanied by the two winners, Aurore, Mireille, and his bodyguard (who was giving Aurore bunny ears).

“Oh, that's Alya!” Marinette said, happily. The other winner was a boy she didn't know, but he appeared to be nice, so she considered that a success. “Mission: stop a total weirdo creep from meeting Adrien,”

“ACCOMPLISHED!” she said along with Kagami.

“You guys know the game has an age limite, right?” Freddy pointed out.

“EH?”

----

That night, Paris' two heroes went on their usual night patrols, and they were now sitting in one of their favorite spots, which had a great view of the Eiffel Tower.

And now, their discussion had turned to their newest temporary partner.

“The Dragon's powers are really cool!” Chat Noir said.

“Yeah! Can you believe you can use three powers before the timer starts?!” Marigold replied.

“I call hax! How is that fair?! Imagine three shots of Venom!”

“Or three times the Cataclysm.” Marigold leaned back. “Well, technically the Ladybug has two powers – Lucky Charm and the Miracle Cure. It's just easy to forget since one leads into the other.”

Silence fell around them, as they considered the implications.

“You think maybe we have multiple powers?” Chat Noir asked.

“Maybe we should ask Master Fu...”

----

Crocoduel

@zoe-oneesama:

* Tomoe Tsurugi: You must be like the woman who ignored society's rules and her father's demands to become an independent warrior!

* Also Tomoe Tsurugi: How dare you ignore society's rules and MY demands and attempt to become an independent person!

Seriously, hypocrisy knows no bounds.

That's 466 pages, 186142 words, 1003366 characters

[dragonchris]

“Things to Never Say to Someone who Just Came Out” but it’s all Akumas

Part 2

Everyone is allowed to come to these decisions on their own timeline, even if it suspiciously lines up with an entire month celebrating the queer community.

Actually, this one is fine. Everyone loves a classic.

They got a letter for the Department of Gay Affairs, just like everybody else.

1 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

[ataraxianne]

I've been rewatching Miraculous lately and I realised Kagami is one year older than Marinette and Adrien

At the end of Ikari Gozen Marinette Asks her what's her Chinese zodiac sign, saying that she's a Snake while Kagami said she is a Dragon, which is the one just right in front of the Snake in the zodiac's order

(Also 2001 was the Snake's Year, so I guess Marinette was born in 2001, while Kagami was born in 2000, the Dragon's Year)

So while Marinette, Adrien and almost everyone else are like 14-ish, Zoe and Marc are one year younger, since they attend the fourth year (French collège) so still 13, the older ones are only Kagami, Luka and Juleka that are 15 (where Kagami is definitely homeschooled or maybe she went to a private school in Japan and now isn't attending a lycée, Luka apparently didn't go to the lycée and Juleka is repeating her last collège year)

[uptoolateart]

Watching ‘Ikari Gozen’ again and can’t help noting that both Kagami and Adrien, the two totally controlled by their crazy parents, are the ones who get literally swallowed by her akumatised mother, consumed and controlled.

[plumsaffron]

Chronicles Of Miraculous Fandom Phobic Lila Rossi Part 2

Lets get it.

Last Time On Based Cherry

Now some Based Cerise Vegito brimming Ladyfandom Phobia.

what it was supposed to embed

continuing now.

even if it's shown it's really the other way around

The Final Joker Chronicle Here (Part 3)

[zoe-oneesama]

You’re a fool if you think Tomoe cares about you or the “other” you, Scarlet Lady.

Episode 37 Part 13

First < Previous > Next

Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Season 4, Season 5

Ep 31,  Ep 32, Ep 33, Ep 34, Intermission 2, Ep 35, Ep 36, Ep 38, Ep 39, Ep 40

Ko-fi | Patreon

[sugarshackpeasant]

the ikari gozen’s on their way to fight ladynoir:

[miraculous-prompts]

Write a Hurt/Comfort Post-Reveal, Post Supreme defeat, Post-Relationship, 1960's AU fic featuring Hesperia going on a date with Ikari Gozen

[artzychic27]

What will Ikari Gozen (episode) be like in SB and IB?

Kagami will be very passionate in this chapter, but not about fencing. She's an artist, she likes to work with charcoals, clay, and paints. Her mother does not like that and thinks it b-a-a-a-d.

[judicious-loveless-brat]

JLB Miraculous Reviews: S5E2 Multiplication

(Obvious Spoilers for Miraculous Season 5)

Oh Alya honey, what has happened to you lately? I thought we agreed on leaving all this nonsense in Season 3? Some things never change, I guess.

Let's go into Multiplication: the second episode of Miraculous Season 5.

We begin with Clara Contard reporting about Monarch's appearance and threats, wondering about how he got ahold of the Miraculouses. Ladybug starts to tell Cat Noir about the possible reason of the loss of the Miraculouses. She states that she thought she gave the Dog Miraculous to Adrien, but she actually gave it to Félix pretending to be Adrien since the two of them look so alike I blame the animators.

And because Cat Noir actually has a brain for once, he suggests that both Monarch and Félix made a mistake as this proves that the two of them have a connection. Just as they were about to fly to London to find Félix, they're interrupted by Su Han who decided to be a guardian for once.

(These are just the English subtitles, as the English dub hasn't been released yet.)

Su Han: Ladybug, you were supposed to protect the Miraculous. You have failed in your duty as a guardian.

He has the balls to say that Ladybug has failed her duty as a guardian when he literally has done even less work as a mentor than Master Fu's incompetent ass did when he isn’t yelling at Marinette.

We then cut to Gabriel de-transforming in his lair. He then threatens the Kwamis that they're all under his control and so does their powers. And it's only a matter of time for him to get Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous.

We go back to Ladybug defending herself as well as Cat Noir from Su Han's protests.

Ladybug: But I was protecting the Miraculous.

Su Han: So explain why they aren't with you anymore? All fifteen that were in the box, including the Rabbit. What will happen if Monarch decides to use it to change the course of time?

Cat Noir: He's already tried to. But don't worry we've got it back and have put it in a safe place. We gave it to someone who is amazing.

Ladybug: And we'll do the same with all of the others.

Cat Noir: And we finally have a clue that will lead us to Monarch.

Ladybug: So instead of blaming us, why don't you help and trust us, Grand Master?

And because Ladybug and Cat Noir have a point, Su Han kneels down and apologizes to her, saying that he got distracted by stupid reasons modern life and cat videos for four months and that he should've guided her instead of being against her since he has been guardian longer than she has. And in this rare moment of guardianship, Su Han jumps back to Tibet to get some backup, meaning he probably won't appear for a couple of episodes or worse, the whole season.

The heroes transform into their space power-ups to fly to London. Ladybug searches for more information about Félix and surprisingly, he has his own Wikipedia page. It's revealed that his name is actually Félix Fathom, son of the late American billionaire Colt Fathom and aristocrat Lady Amelie Graham de Vanily (so does this mean that Adrien is royalty?). He's a triple medalist of Kung Fu and horsemanship, a chess prodigy and the youngest person to graduate highschool in England. So basically, he has accomplished more in his life than we ever have.

Cosmobug and Astrocat arrive at Félix's home and asks Amelie about his whereabouts.

Amelie: My son wasn't home today when I woke up. I wasn't worried because he was supposed to visit his cousin Adrien in Paris. Those two are inseparable. But Félix didn't return any of my calls, so I called his uncle Gabriel. And he said that he hasn't seen him.

Cosmobug: But, he was in Paris. I talked to him.

Amelie: Oh Cosmobug and Astrocat, I hope nothing bad happened to him.

Cosmobug: Be calm. He should appear at his uncle's house.

Astrocat: Or maybe he's coming back to London already.

Amelie: Thank you so much for the support you are giving to me.

We'll go back to this later.

Cosmobug and Astrocat leave Félix's house. They didn't even bother checking the whole house to see if he's there. We then get a beautiful scene of them talking upon the night sky.

They wonder if they are wrong about Félix and are having doubts. Astrocat suggests that they find other clues since Monarch is going to keep attacking and that they're going to find out what happened to Félix together. And Cosmobug says that until then, they're going to be more careful than ever since Monarch is apparently so powerful even though they screwed up the many chances of winning against him in the last episode. The two of them then go back to Paris, where we get two good character moments of Marinette and Adrien.

We get a sorrowful scene of Marinette having flashbacks of the Kwamis being cheerful and playful, but they're not really there. It clearly highlights how impactful the loss of not only the Miraculouses but the Kwamis is to her. It shows how guilty Marinette is of failing to protect them. She calls Alya and asks for her company, trying to pretend that she's okay.

We also get a scene of Adrien having a flashback of Félix talking to him in Risk. He blames himself for letting Félix manipulate him and that he should have listened to Marinette. He also has a vision of Marinette telling him that why doesn't he just tell his father the truth. Adrien remembers this and goes to his father's office, as we finally get to see Adrien stand up to his father.

Adrien: Father, I have an important issue to talk with you but I don't know how-

Gabriel: Tell me quickly, Adrien. I'm very busy.

Adrien: I don't want to be a model anymore.

Gabriel: Okay. If that is what you want. Something else?

And that's basically it. What, were you expecting something more dramatic? Maybe an argument between a father and a son? Something that would actually change their relationship forever? OF COURSE NOT! Despite being built up as a very big deal for Adrien's character, Gabriel is somehow okay with Adrien not wanting to do what he wants anymore. You'd think with how much of a big deal this was, there'd be more tension in Adrien and Gabriel's relationship now, but Gabriel is just perfectly fine with this. Well, that was anticlimactic. Although, I wouldn't say it was bad either, as it definitely gave Adrien character growth.

We then go back to Marinette blaming herself for what happened while Alya reassures her that it's not her fault. Marinette says that everything has happened because she confused Adrien with Félix while Alya tells her that Félix was pretending to be Adrien and that anyone would have been fooled by him. But Marinette declares that she loves Adrien so she should've known him well and not be fooled by anyone who is pretending to be him, to which Alya disagrees and states that they have "been through so much together". Is this really important right now?

I hate to break it to you Alya, but the two of them have not been through so much together. Yes, Marinette sticks up for Adrien at times but outside of school interactions, Adrien and Marinette rarely spend any time together nor developed their relationship outside of alternate timelines I'm looking at you Cat Blanc and Ephemeral. Seriously, we are five seasons in and the only times Adrien ever spent time with Marinette were times of his social or work obligations where many people were around and Marinette happened to be there, times where he bumped into her in public with no plans of hanging out with her and times where he was only asking her for a favor. To put it in simple, Marinette and Adrien's relationship is as of classmates or acquaintances, not super close best friends who have been through so much together that the show claims them to be. If the show desperately wants to say that Marinette and Adrien are so close, then make them actually spend time together without the help of any outside forces and develop their relationship in the process. Just make them hang out sincerely. This is one of the problems the Love Square has that made a portion of the fandom lose interest in it. Also why bring up the Statue Scene again when it's literally one of Adrienette's cringiest moments and Marinette's worst moments with Adrien.

And because Marinette believes that it's her love for Adrien that caused all of this and not Félix, she tries to not have a crush on him anymore, even though we know that's going to turn out for her.

Alya: Hello, do you remember the times when you tried not to like him?

Yes Alya, I perfectly remember the times where you keep making fun of Marinette about her crush for Adrien and constantly pushing her into situations with him when she's clearly uncomfortable all because you want them to be a thing. I perfectly remember Frozer, where you discouraged Marinette for trying to move on because the two of them are "made for each other". And I definitely didn't forget the New York special, where you literally trapped them in a room with a fake supervillain just to get them to confess their feelings for each other, all while Marinette is moving on from Adrien and in a relationship with Luka. So don't you dare try to say that because you are literally one of the reasons why Marinette can't move on from Adrien. Just let her move on because what relationship she and Adrien has is none of your concerns. Sure, you can be supportive of Adrienette but don't go overboard with it to the point where Marinette doesn't feel comfortable around Adrien anymore.

And while they were talking, Adrien suddenly calls Marinette. Even though Marinette doesn't want to answer, Alya, as the good friend that she is, answers for her. Alya tells Adrien that Marinette isn't here right now. Adrien tells her to tell Marinette that his father gave him permission to not be a model anymore. Marinette quickly steals the phone from Alya and is glad that Adrien finally talked to his father. Adrien then tells a speech of how special Marinette is to him, which surprisingly, she responds to normally.

Adrien: I wanted to tell you. Since I started school, everything has been so new to me. There are still lots of things I don't understand but one thing I'm certain of is that my life would be very different without you. You've always been by my side. For every problem, you've given me great advice. You are special. Thank you, Marinette.

Marinette: You're welcome.

Adrien: It's true. I want you to know how important you are to me. And I hope one day, I can do as much for you as you did for me.

Marinette: How wonderful. I'll see you tomorrow then?

Adrien: Sleep well, Marinette.

Marinette: Ok!

While I do think that Adrien falling for Marinette was a bit rushed since their relationship hasn't got that much development, it's still sweet to see how much he appreciates her as a friend or more. And how ironic that while Adrien is a little flustered while talking to her, Marinette responds in a completely normal tone without even blushing at the sight of him. The tables have turned, I see. Marinette, of course, denies everything and Alya, like all the other Adrienette shippers watching this episode, gets frustrated.

Meanwhile, at Adrien's house, Adrien lovingly gushes over Marinette because she's so special to him. He doesn't even bother to deny anything to Plagg when he teasingly calls him out and says that she's no longer "just a friend". I guess they're flipping the Love Square now, I see.

Nathalie arrives at the Agreste Mansion and glares at Gabriel. Gabriel takes a quick glance at Nathalie and looks away.

So I guess they're no longer on the same boat then?

Nathalie then goes to check on Adrien in his room. She's relieved that Adrien is safe and unharmed. I'm predicting that since Nathalie doesn't want to help Gabriel anymore (and that sticks till the very end), she'll begin to reconnect and rekindle her relationship with Adrien and probably defend him from Gabriel if he ever tries to do something to his son. Hopefully, they don't kill her off for her redemption.

At the very next day (so I guess parts of Risk, Strikeback, Evolution and the first part of Multiplication all happened in just one day), Alix's father, with Ladybug's authorization, announces to the whole class that his daughter is gonna withdraw for a while as she's been chosen as a superhero to travel through time to protect the Rabbit Miraculous. He also assures them that she'll come back when Monarch's defeated.

Okay first of all, why would Ladybug authorize him to tell the whole class that Alix is a superhero? Wouldn't that jeopardize Alix's secret identity? What if with this information, Monarch finds out and uses it to his advantage? Sure, Alix would be safe but what about her family? What if Monarch does to Alix's family what he did to Alya's in Sentibubbler? I thought Ladybug herself said that nobody should find out the secret identities of the Miraculous holders?

Lastly, why would Ladybug even trust the class with this information in the first place? How is she so sure that this will end well? Chloé (who has literally worked for Hawkmoth multiple times) and Lila (who she doesn't even trust at all) were both in that room. Not to mention that if any of them gets akumatized, then Ladybug will have to worry about them spilling the information to Monarch.

Seriously writers, you couldn't bother finding another excuse as to why Alix couldn't attend class for a period of time?

With this announcement, the teachers try to hype up the students and tell them how they don't need to be superheroes to support Ladybug and Cat Noir. How ironic, considering all of them, except for Lila, became superheroes. Mylène expresses her fear of Monarch and Max states that Monarch has majority of the Miraculous and has a big shot of winning. Nino tells him that he isn't really helping. Ivan calms Mylène down and suggests that they do yoga so that she can lessen the fear she has. And Marinette agrees of helping balancing the emotions of who's afraid as fear can't control them. Rose exclaims that Monarch won't win if they think positively. The rest of the class cheers while Chloé mocks them for being afraid, proposing why they don't just give Monarch what he wants. She tells them that they are in this situation because of Ladybug and Cat Noir's incompetence, while promoting herself as Queen Bee. While she is true, Lila explains that Ladybug and Cat Noir are still young and they had to make a few mistakes with that much power and responsibility. She says that they need to forgive Ladybug because fighting a supervillain shouldn't be a job for a kid.

I can't believe I'm saying this but, Lila is definitely right! Even though I know she's just lying, Lila absolutely makes a great point. Ladybug and Cat Noir are just kids (although it doesn't excuse some of the more incompetent decisions they made). And it isn't their job to fight Monarch because they're still kids. I don't know what Lila ate to make her say these things but these are definitely facts that majority of the fandom who are very hard on Marinette and Adrien needs to hear.

A scene shows of Ladybug and Cat Noir starting on keeping an eye for Monarch to battle him on the Eiffel Tower. Another scene shows of Adrien walking down the stairs when he suddenly notices Gabriel and Tomoe alone in his office talking, to which his Bodyguard closes the door behind them.

Adrien's mind: So Kagami's gonna be my stepsis now?

Also, Nathalie is apparently very replaceable because Gabriel has a collection of a million women in his closet who is willing to do evil with him.

Another scene shows of Adrien getting of his car and meeting up with his friends at school. He sees Marinette and tries to kiss her on the cheek as a greeting (even though he didn't do that to Alya and Nino for some reason), but Marinette, being visibly uncomfortable, stands back and offers him a handshake instead. Oh boy, it gets much worse later.

The next scenes show Parisians doing their best to cope with Monarch's threats. Mylène and Ivan opens a yoga club. Nora, with Alya and Nino, practices kickboxing with standees of Shadow Moth.

We also get a scene of Adrien and Lila getting digitalized with the help of the Tsurugi company, serving as a solution for Adrien not wanting to model anymore.

Basically, all of this scenes are part of a montage showing a course of weeks passing in Paris. However, these attempts eventually died down when weeks passed by and no akumatization had occurred. Nadja reports that Monarch hasn't attacked since weeks. Even Ladybug and Cat Noir acknowledges this while playing cards at the Eiffel Tower, as well as the fact that Félix hasn't appeared. So, has he given up? Let's see. Of course he didn't.

The next day, Adrien arrives at school and attempts to kiss Marinette again. This time, Alya PHYSICALLY PREVENTS Marinette from avoiding the kiss.

This has so many problems. Alya... why?

1. It doesn't matter if it's just a friendly kiss or a greeting kiss! If Adrien wanted to kiss Marinette as a friend, shouldn't Alya and Nino be getting one from him as well, since they're his friends too? And if it were really with friendly intentions, shouldn't Adrien be giving Marinette cheek kisses pre-Multiplication?

2. Marinette is visibly uncomfortable! It doesn't matter if he just wants to kiss her as a friend or it's a French thing. It's still wrong for Alya to force Marinette onto Adrien not only once but thrice! Why are Adrien's feelings put on a pedestal while Marinette's feelings are disregarded and shrugged off in this situation? This is super uncomfortable and unfair for Marinette!

3. It doesn’t excuse Marinette being physically restricted by Alya! She was already avoiding the kiss and had already told MANY TIMES to Alya on how she wants to move on. Even if she secretly loves him deep down, she should not be forced to get kissed and her so-called "best friends" should respect her decision. What Alya and Adrien are doing to Marinette is making her feel uneasy and distressed. This is borderline harassment in Marinette's case!

Luckily, Ikari Gozen interrupts the unwanted kiss and jumps to Collège Françoise Dupont. She destroys the school with her bokken and rampages around Paris, attempting to destroy the city and create a new one. Because Alya actually remembers that she is Marinette's confidant, she pulls Marinette to a safe place to transform into Ladybug. Adrien also goes to the train station to transform into Cat Noir.

Ladybug and Cat Noir arrive on top of the Arc de Triomphe, where Ikari Gozen plans on destroying. Cat Noir comments on how Monarch came back just to akumatize Ikari Gozen again. Ladybug stresses that they didn't fight her alone before (as they had the help of Ryuko) but Cat Noir reassures her, saying that they always used to fight together, just the two of them.

Ikari Gozen notices the heroes and ridicules them about how they're too antique to be heroes and that Paris needs "modern heroes". I wonder if this is part of Gabriel's plan and partnership with Tomoe at the end of the episode. We'll get to this later.

Ikari Gozen tries to hit Cat Noir with her bokken but is stopped by his staff. Ladybug tries to get the bokken with her yo-yo but misses and Ikari Gozen flicks her away, throwing her to the trees of Jardin des Tuileries. Cat Noir checks up on Ladybug to see if she's okay but in doing so, Ikari Gozen successfully destroys the Arc de Triomphe.

Ikari Gozen swiftly runs to the Grand Palais to destroy it next but is distracted by Cat Noir, who has activated Cataclysm. While Ikari Gozen is focused on attacking Cat Noir, Ladybug successfully ties her yo-yo around her bokken. But unfortunately for her, Ikari Gozen activates the Mouse Miraculous power, multiplying into twelve versions of herself.

This gives off major Attack on Titan vibes.

Ladybug and Cat Noir are shocked that Ikari Gozen (or as Cat Noir said, Ikari Dozen) used the power of the Mouse Miraculous. The Ikari Dozen clones go berserk and destroy everything that they deem "less modern" in sight (so, she's basically reverse Bakerix). That includes the Montparnasse Tower and...

NOT THE EIFFEL TOWER AGAIN-

An Ikari Dozen clone tries to hit Ladybug and Cat Noir but is unsuccessful, destroying the Grand Palais in the process. While fighting the clones, Ladybug suspects that Monarch gave Ikari Dozen the Mouse Miraculous while Cat Noir is proud that they'll reclaim another Miraculous back. Spoiler Alert: They don't.

Ladybug and Cat Noir hide under the debris of the destroyed Grand Palais, surrounded by the rampaging clones. Ladybug conjures her Lucky Charm, getting a fishing rod. She tries to think of a solution, highlighting the fishing rod, Collège Françoise Dupont, Ikari Dozen's bokken, a pillar that fell down inside the principal's office and Cat Noir in her vision. She now has an idea of the plan, telling Cat Noir what he should do.

Ladybug then distracts the Ikari Dozen clones and lures them away while Cat Noir escapes. Ladybug lures them to Collège Françoise Dupont, signaling Cat Noir. The original Ikari Dozen tries to hit Ladybug but misses, completely falling for her trap and putting her bokken inside the principal's office. Cat Noir uses the fishing rod to bring the pillar down and gets the bokken stuck. Ikari Dozen tries to get her bokken out but Cat Noir cataclysms it, releasing the Akuma. Ladybug purifies it, releasing the Ikari Dozen clones out of existence. Ladybug and Cat Noir pound-it and Mrs. Tsurugi is returned to her normal self. Tomoe explains the "reason" why she got akumatized. Ladybug asks Tomoe to check if there's any Miraculouses on her clothes and to their surprise, she doesn't possess the Mouse Miraculous. They suspect that this must be Monarch's surprise for being MIA for weeks. Ladybug then uses Miraculous Ladybug, gives Mrs. Tsurugi a useless Magical Charm and they leave.

Tomoe gets inside her car and tells Tatsu to take her to her office. With her special hi-tech ring, she calls Gabriel.

Gabriel: Tsurugi-san.

Tomoe: The prototype worked, Gabriel.

Gabriel: Very well. Let's go for the next step.

And as of this episode, it's revealed that Tomoe Tsurugi has became an ally of Gabriel and through what I've heard, she helped him create these technological rings to allow Monarch to transfer the powers of the Miraculous to his akumatized villains that wears them, with herself serving as a test subject. I wonder how would Kagami react to her mother siding with a terrorist. Also, good move Gabriel. This is actually a smart plan. I wonder how they created this rings though.

We then get an ad of these rings, named Alliance rings, a project between the Tsurugis and Agrestes. And...

My eyes hurt just seeing him in... this. Moving on.

The Alliance rings have four modes: Assistant mode, Akuma alert mode, Call mode and Navigation mode. Assistant mode can answer simple questions, solve math problems and launch other applications or applets and the digitalized versions of Lila and Adrien seem to be the only models of the assistants in Assistant mode. Akuma alert mode notifies the user if there is an active Akuma attack near them so that they can get to safety quickly. Call mode allows you to receive and start video calls with other rings and presumably phones as well. Navigation mode shows a map and gives general or complete directions to a destination. If you ask me, Monarch can DEFINITELY use this rings to his own advantage. I wonder how is he going to fail now. Probably through plot armor

While holding their promotional campaign, Gabriel makes a gesture to Lila and Adrien to come to the stage. On stage, Adrien asks Gabriel.

Adrien: Listen father, is this why you digitalized me?

Gabriel: Yes, son. I'm freeing you from your model career. That was what you wanted, right?

While this is definitely heartwarming, I won't be fooled again this time! This is just one of those times where Gabriel tries to act like a good father to Adrien in one episode and then becomes a piece of shit to him again at the very next episodes. Nice try writers, but you won't deceive me again.

So the episode ends with a post-credits scene where Amelie knocks on Félix's bedroom for tea time. While Félix sits on the couch and opens his laptop, Amelie reveals that she lied to Cosmobug and Astrocat.

Amelie: Don't worry, darling! Mother is here to protect you from the superheroes that think that you are a villain.

Isn't he though? This could mean two things, either Amelie is oblivious to Félix's actions or she's onboard with all of this, and I think it's more of the latter than the former.

When his mother leaves him be, Félix pulls out the Peacock Miraculous and wears it, letting Duusu out.

Duusu: Where is Nathalie? Are you my new holder?

Félix: I am way more than that, Duusu.

I wonder what he means when he says he's more than that. Who am I kidding, he's definitely a Sentimonster along with Adrien.

But yeah, Multiplication was honestly a fine episode for me. It's definitely better than Evolution. It had many problems, but not as big as Evolution's. I can even say that it's better than most Season 4 episodes.

For the most part, it had good continuity from the Season 4 finale. Ladynoir working together to defeat Ikari Gozen was also a highlight in this episode for me. The first half of the episode literally had more plot progression without feeling rushed than half of Season 4 in general lmao. The characters begin to have more agency in the plot. It's good to see how Nathalie really cares for Adrien and I hope she does get character growth in the future. The short Félix and Lila appearances were also nice. As anticlimactic it was, Adrien standing up to Gabriel is a nice setup for his character. And as we all suspected, Tomoe and Gabriel work together. I wouldn't be surprised if Audrey is also involved in this Evil Rich Parents society, based on the Feast and Gabriel Agreste episodes.

Of course like I said, there were many problems with this episode. Su Han's scene where he explains his lack of appearances last season is a big joke and just goes to show that his whole character has been nothing but useless whenever he doesn't yell at Marinette. Alix's reason of absence could've been explained in another way without exposing her identity. Seriously, did the writers just not think of saying that Alix went on another country with relatives or something? But I guess the secret identity rule is practically ignored since it really only applies to Chloé and not the other heroes who got their identities exposed. Adrienette's portrayal in this episode is weird at best while creepy and uncomfortable at worst. The way he fell for Marinette seems really rushed but Adrien expecting her to be okay with kissing her is outright irritating. He didn't even ask her for permission just like he did in Cat Blanc. I know that he likes Marinette now for some reason but that doesn't excuse him kissing her without her consent. She even backs away from him every time he attempts to kiss her, visibly uncomfortable, and he still doesn't get the hint. It's definitely gonna leave a bad taste to the audience, especially since it teaches kids that kissing someone without their consent is definitely okay, as long as you like them. How on earth did they think that we would be okay with this? And to be honest, this isn't even the worst part of the episode. Because...

Yes, what Alya did in this episode definitely deserves a spotlight. This is probably one of Alya's unlikeable moments in the series. Instead of respecting Marinette's wishes to move on from Adrien, she still pushes her to him even though she's visibly uncomfortable. Because God forbid Marinette actually tries to grow as a character and as a person and not let her life revolve around a blonde guy. It's stuff like this that I really wonder why Marinette is still friends with Alya when most of the time, she teases her and forces her out of her comfort zone, which a real best friend shouldn't do. Plus, why is Marinette's feelings for Adrien your priority right now and not how to get back the Miraculouses from Monarch? I seriously hope they don't revert Alya back to her Season 3 self because I actually liked her in Season 4. God please help us.

These problems really drag this episode a bit for me. Then again, these choices just got to me personally. I feel like if those things weren't there or were done much better, things could have made this episode a lot better for me personally. I can definitely see why a lot of people really like this episode, but I'm honestly not too obsessed with it. So, I'll give Multiplication a 7/10.

[unchataparis]

A Review of Multiplication (Part 2)

Part 1 here.

Nino’s face is so expressive.

A time skip. That’s unexpected. I never expected something of this narrative to be used in Miraculous, for a show that chronologically stuffs all the events of Season 2, 3, and half of 4 into 2 weeks. It’s very realistic, which is great! Really shows how seriously events in this season is going to be taken.

Félix has been missing for weeks at this point? People really should be more concerned. What if Monarch killed him? Just saying.

I wonder if Nino feels abandoned.

Been some time since we’ve seen a full Ladybug transformation. I like the music! Like the theme song, it sounds far more mature and edgier, with a little electric guitar twang.

Chat Noir’s theme has so much snazziness in it. The electric guitar is a lot more pronounced. It is very light-hearted, however.

Ladybug mentioning that the last time they fought Ikari Gozen, they had assistance, which fosters doubt about whether or not they can manage the feat this time. The power levels in Miraculous are very askew. Maybe it’s because they are children, but Papillon was far too powerful, he shouldn’t be giving the Holders of the two Central Miraculous this much trouble. He doesn't even fight, while Adrien has fencing training, and Ladybug and Chat Noir risk their life and limb every other Tuesday. Ladybug and Chat Noir should've been able to beat Papillon up.

"I love architecture too much to let her keep going like this." Adrien canonically adores architecture. A check in the personal headcanon board.

"If only we could stop her blade", sounds like a job for a Bee Hero.

And here’s the big surprise of the season! The villains can now use Miraculous superpowers! So Monarch isn’t going to attack Ladybug and Chat Noir on his own with the Miraculous, or raise his own army of villains (although that option is still out there, it’ll be funny to see Gabriel offering Adrien a Miraculous, although that won’t happen, that’ll end the story immediately), he’s gong to imbue his Champions with the power of the Miraculous Jewels. Oh no! How will Ladybug and Chat Noir fare against the abilities of the allies they’ve been relying on for so long?

The Eiffel Tower always falls so perfectly, like a model toy. No foundations ripped up, no parts crumbled. 

"Think she’ll take the bait?" "We’ll just have to find the right fishing spot." How does the writers manage to come up with perfect puns for each Lucky Charm?

Ikari Dozen, lmao.

Ladybug says Point Final instead of "Bug out!" in French? Huh. The French version is a lot more mature, in a way.

Tomoe and Gabriel are undeniably working together. What does Tomoe want from this? Her daughter is distant from her, but she doesn’t care about that, and as far as the audience knows, Tomoe doesn’t have any family member in comas. Power? The ability to destroy historical parks to build her Technophones?

This advertisement is amazing, it looks like a high-tech apple campaign, which is what the writers are going for, I assume. A fashion and electronics collaboration. I could get behind it. Like Maison Kitsune and Samsung, or Hèrmes and Apple Watches.

Adrien and Lila as the avatars! That’s so cool! My OTP.

The advertisement ends with the two of them before a (incredibly empty) Gabriel store. That’s very chic.

"Your father is a genius."

Shoulder touch.

What did they put in this episode? Why does Adrien look so good??

I can’t even being the describe the amount of ethical violations that Gabriel is subjecting Adrien to by digitalising him. Is Alliance purely for the purpose of defeating Ladybug and Chat Noir? Does Gabriel realise how dangerous it is to put his child’s model out there in the world? What is he going to do after this, should he win? Continue utilising Adrien's face? Is Adrien going to be sufficient paid for this? That’s his image, after all, Gabriel doesn’t own that.

This was a pretty sweet episode. Évolution deals with the immediate aftermath of Season 4, but Multiplication really introduces the mood for this new season. Time passes, Paris grows, and the whole debacle between Adrien and Lila, Gabriel and Tomoe begins. Alliance is a really, really interesting plot device, this little ring is going to get both Gabriel and Ladybug in a lot of trouble, I bet, because Gabriel is going to catch Ladybug with it, somehow, but Ladybug is going to pull a signature UNO reverse like she always does, and get him back too, I’m sure.

I think this is also the first time we had an after-end card scene? Like a post-credit scene that introduces a new Marvel villain, here Félix is. Revealed to be hiding in his house after all. Amélie is a great mother. She has a close connection with her son, and it’s apparent that Félix really trusts and respects her. She doesn’t seem to entirely know what’s going on, but that’s not because Félix is scared to tell her, it just appears that Amélie isn’t interested in knowing. As long as Félix is having fun and isn’t hurt, that’s all she cares about. This is a dynamic that makes Amélie and Félix unique, in a universe full of abusive, ignorant, or distant parents. 

Félix drinking tea, how British. 

Unlike Adrien’s Miraculous jewels, Félix’s covert style is gold in contrast with his silver.

Although Félix plays at being villanious, I’m sure he and Duusu will have a great relationship. They both have the wild card, maverick kind of vibe to them. Duusu, alone, out of all the Kwami, doesn’t seem to be bothered by their captivity, playing along with their kidnappers even. Duusu actually has something of a mutual relationship with Nathalie, which is far more than could be said for Nooroo and Gabriel.

Duusu is also quite unique, solitarily for the fact that the onus lies on their Miraculous jewel for triggering this entire series.

[multimousenette]

Happy international friendship day to these two and these two only

[shivering-isles-cryptid]

Rewatching Ikari Gozen is literally the worst thing ever. Seeing how heart broken Kagami gets when Alya says "I cant believe your stuck with Kagami!" And then she takes the selfie were you can tell she's about to cry. And seeing that the whole reason Kagami was so awkward was because her mom is literally a female Gabriel Agreste and she just wanted to be Marinettes friend. And then she says that her and Marinette weren't meant to be friends. And then seeing her own mother eat her. And then seeing how little self confidence she actually has. And then seeing that she is upset about her lack of friends. And then seeing her almost cry infront of her mother.

This episode is heartbreaking when Kagami is one of your favorites.