#mlb revelation spoilers

[azu-cena20]

I would be slamming my head into my desk, no, my wall, if it didn't cause brain damage. This went from intended 3rd person to straight-up yelling at a fictional character.

Because how the FUCK is Alya this stupid. Revelation spoilers ahead.

I understood believing in Lila before a certain episode because, you know, everyone is 14 and a really cool girl came and told these really cool stories, but Alya. Alya you complete and utter idiot. Marinette TOLD you she was Ladybug, she has transformed in front of you, you have seen Tikki, YOU KNOW ABOUT HER HATRED FOR LILA. And you think Marinette is in the wrong. You think the girl with no proof of any of her stories is right compared to the girl who IS Ladybug.

Even if she never outright TOLD you, in specific detail, why she hates Lila, no 14-year-old BLOGGER WITH DREAMS TO BE A JOURNALIST would believe Lila as much. We know you have at least two brain cells, use them. Marinette and Ladybug are the same person, Marinette hates Lila for being a liar, and Lila hates Ladybug. Lila has been constantly saying that Marinette is an awful person and a complete bully, EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW that's not true because you can ask anyone in the class, and they'll tell you Marinette is a good person. EVEN the teacher, who keeps feeding into whatever fantasies Lila has, constantly tells Marinette to "be the good person you always are".

The utter bullshit you pulled with Adrien telling you and Nino that he is also aware of her lying and manipulation is unfathomable. "Aw, you're defending your girlfriend!" HOW ABOUT YOU DEFEND YOUR BEST FRIEND? YOU TAUGHT MARINETTE THAT CHLOE WAS POINTLESS TO HELP IN THE BEGINNING, YOU LITERALLY GOT HER TO STAND UP TO HER. But Lila? No, she can't be a bully, it's just a misunderstanding that she planted a necklace that got her expelled, that she "fell" down the stairs one day and the next she's completely fine, that she GOT MARINETTE EXPELLED THEN WENT BACK ON IT LITERALLY THE NEXT DAY, NO, THE NEXT HOUR.

Every single time Marinette looks for a friend to aid her, you pretend to be open arms only to try and suffocate her into your beliefs. Alya, you are the worst in this show.

[tikki-fuck-off]

so do you think people are gonna realize they dumb down alya in every episode where they need lila to be competent because there's the obvious plot hole of alya knowing marinette's ladybug that they refuse to adress in regards to lila's manipulation because if they do everything breaks down.... or are they gonna use this episode as a new excuse to be super weird about her and write terrible fanfiction where the entire world hates her

[dreamisoup]

it’s insane to me how ayla and everyone else STILL trust lila after five seasons of her being disloyal

[wield-the-mighty-pen]

I was watching 'Revelation' and I noticed something interesting

If you look closer at Adrien's lunch tray, you can see something very peculiar included in his meal choices

There's a whole large stack of camembert just sitting there on his tray, just out in the open for his friends to see, and being as how it has been inferred that Adrien doesn't like Camembert, this must be so confusing for them to watch.

Just imagine the bewildered and baffled faces of Marinette, Nino, and Alya as Adrien piles on the cheese onto his platter, only for him not to touch it and then surreptitiously toss it all into his backpack.

[itburnslikeafire]

Adrienette holding hands at school.

That's it.

That's the post.

[geekgirles]

Okay, but the fact that Adrien was glaring at Lila the entire time she was talking to Marinette??? Vindication from the animation error in Chameleon!

[ouijaban]

me and my long-term situationship fucking up the ozone layer one fart at a time

[uptoolateart]

Hey, hey, hey - time for a Gabriel analysis!

So. After we learned that Gabriel Agreste wasn't his original name, my mind jumped to Andre Bourgeois, who also once had a different name. In keeping with the themes of the show, we are seeing that secret identities don't always come with masks and comic book names.

We had a hint of Gabriel's secret past in Psycomedian, when Harry visited and alluded to his Gabi days. How, oh how could the Gabriel Agreste we all know have ever been friends with someone like Harry Clown? This is only possible if he was once a different sort of person.

We had further clues in Gabriel's vision of the past, in the time burrow in Evolution - and in Emilie's video messages left for Nathalie, and the photographs of Gabriel, Emilie and Nathalie on some expedition, seen in Passion - and in Amelie's accusation that Gabriel has changed, in Emotion.

Adrien is also aware his father has changed with time, demonstrated when he tells Gabriel that Emilie once said they came from different backgrounds.

The photos shown in Revelation finally gave concrete evidence that Gabriel used to have an adventurous spirit and he used to smile. He was fun...but something changed...and I don't think it was just Emilie's death that caused the personality shift. Based on casual comments Adrien has made throughout the series, his father has been strange for years.

Gabriel tells Adrien that he and Kagami are 'of the same design' - and we know he means this literally. But taking it as a metaphor...for two seasons I've wondered what Emilie's parents were like. We can infer that she comes from a wealthy, 'important' family. Maybe Gabriel struggled to fit in and win the approval of his in-laws. Maybe he never felt good enough. When he tells Adrien things like, 'You're clinging to Marinette because her mediocrity lets you shine more,' perhaps someone once talked like that about him. With that kind of background, it would be unsurprising that he decided to try to forge a new identity.

And let's remember that Gabriel is a designer. His whole empire is founded on inventing personae. Even beyond the sentimonster aspect, he tells Marinette that he designed the image the world holds of his son. Everything is his invention. That speech in Pretension proved just how deep his God complex runs - he fully believes he has made the world in his image. Even the episode title - Pretension - smacks of the image he is presenting to the world in lieu of truth.

At this point, what we're seeing is a 'new money' stereotype - a self-made man who now spurns those who remind him of where he came from. It's one of the most shameful things about him. No matter how much fame and money you get...you can't forget your roots, people. Maybe that's easy for me to say because I'm not rich or famous. But I just can't imagine turning my back on my own origin story. It's what makes you who you are. Gabriel clearly didn't want to be that person anymore...and that's sad.

What's also fascinating is that, if we zoom in on those pictures Nathalie took in Revelation, we see that once upon a time, Gabriel - Gabi Grassette - was a punk. Let's take a moment to appreciate the spiked hair, makeup, leather jacket, ripped jeans, and dog collar - not to mention that smirk. And far from being ashamed of his work with Harry Clown as a human frites (who, by the way, reminds me so much of Mr Banana), he was smiling about it. Man, he loved it. Contrast that with Gabriel in Party Crasher - 'JOY.... What's going on in my HOUSE!?'

If it were at all possible for the old Gabi to meet Cat Noir, I can imagine him loving Cat's costume. On that note, I can't help but compare that dog collar with Cat's bell. I've said before that I see the bell as a symbol of Cat being domesticated and under control. Gabi probably saw his dog collar more as a rebellion, but maybe it too is a symbol of how he once felt controlled by someone.

The thing is...the punk movement was all about anti-establishment anti-authoritarianism. Today, Gabriel is the establishment he once rebelled against. It makes me think of John Lydon of the Sex Pistols turning Conservative and advertising butter. Musicians like Donovan - not a punk, but in a similar category, as a 1960s hippie - are rare for maintaining that same spirit all through their lives.

Gabriel is a 'sell-out'. He gave up that spirit and became someone unrecognisable. Those photos demonstrate that Emilie isn't the only body buried in a 'basement' in the Agreste mansion. There is a different person buried under the cold veneer that is Gabriel - a person Nathalie probably misses. I expect that's why she's stuck with him all this time, despite her better instincts. Something tells me Gabi would've made a better father.

The irony is that Adrien's moments of rebellion are probably one of the few things he has in common with his father, if we look far enough back in Gabriel's past. That, and their temper - and randomly breaking into eccentric dance and song. Gabi might have appreciated Adrien more for standing true to his principles. Maybe Adrien sometimes reminds Gabriel of himself and he can't stand it - can't stand thinking of what he's lost along the way.

I believe Gabriel exists in a perpetual state of regret. Part of him probably misses Gabi, too. After all, Gabi got Emilie. What has Gabriel got? Wealth, sure, but Emilie's dead, Adrien all but hates him, Nathalie's wasting away, and Gabriel himself has only weeks to live.

If you think about it, Gabriel's whole quest has been about getting a do-over. He wants a second chance with Emilie - a second chance for Nathalie - a second chance at his own life. He then tells Adrien that his greatest wish is to try to reconnect with him...because he knows he doesn't have much time left with his son. Even then, though, his selfishness prevails. (Psst, Gabi...you can't make up for years of terrible parenting with banana pancakes.)

Thinking of the snake miraculous, the second chance lets you know what's going to happen, enabling you to make better decisions the next time around. In other words: it's about learning from your mistakes. Gabriel never learns, and it is his refusal to accept destiny and his own human fallibility that is causing his disintegration.

The more Gabriel necrotises, the more we can see this as his 'sins' catching up with him. He doesn't seem to grasp that all the blackness devouring him is, in a way, the blackness of his own heart. Even if he erases the whole world, he can't erase his deeds. If he managed to get his Wish and bring Emilie back, she would be horrified. She'd wonder where her Gabi went.

Gabriel is proof that 'evolution' isn't always positive. He reinvented himself once, and now, because it didn't go the way he wanted, he's trying to reinvent things again. Tomoe also hints at a belief that the solution to her problems is to make the world anew - to get a second chance. Felix tries this, too, when he creates the red moon to wipe out all people except his select group.

But Felix does learn - Ladybug helps him see that even if you erase all the people causing you so much grief...you still have to deal with that pain. What Gabriel fails to see is that - like Cat Blanc on the roof, all alone without his lady - destroying your witnesses won't remove the witness in your own heart.

Even if Gabriel wiped everyone else's memory of his crimes, he would still know what he'd done. And when you cross those kinds of lines, you can never go back to who you once were.

Please no post-Revelation spoilers in the comments :)

[hufflepotato-18]

scary

even scarier

oh fuck

[ataraxianne]

Nino trying cheering Marinette up telling her that they could all eventually find a way to go visit Adrien in London every now and then got me thinking. Marinette already has the possibility to, she has an aunt in London, Shu Yin, her mother's sister and even if she apparently doesn't like her that much, we know Marinette- if she wanted she could just take the first train to London and starting living with her aunt just to see Adrien everyday. She went to Shangai just to see him just for a day, finding out an excuse to live in London wouldn't be that crazy from her. And maybe the thought had already crossed her mind. The problem is not the distance but the apparent impossibility of their relationship, how everything and everyone seems against it, how they believed they had all the time in the world and instead many people, his father first, tried separating them and basically actually did. I can't even imagine the pain they're both in, they deserve so much better

[ladybugssssssss]

it’s me and you against the world m’lady 🥲

[adrienettestarco4ever]

I love this Adrienette moment. Adrien was apologizing to Mari and after she tells him that other reason why she loves him 😭❤😍😍

[tahnnie26]

"I love that girl"

[trainsinanime]

I feel like talking a bit more about Vanisher 2.0 and Red Volpina (todo: look up what these Miraculous Ladybug season 5 episodes are actually called). My previous review of them has been,

Yes there is stuff where the writing still has potential to get better (not once but twice does everybody in class believe a known liar over Marinette!? Marinette’s classmates suddenly realized Chloé was doing badly in school and somehow that’s Marinette’s problem!? Lol), but it’s still better than it’s ever been.

But maybe there's more to talk about here. Just a couple of days ago I saw a post that complained bitterly about how unfair it is that Marinette must always prove herself, and how Alya was a bad friend in these two episodes.

I don't think that's a great hot take, but I think there is a kernel of truth here. The writing in these episodes was not 100%, but in ways that are interesting to talk about. This isn't meant as salt; I watched the episodes with my sister and I had a lot of fun with them regardless of their flaws. I just think it's interesting.

First of all, I don't think it's actually a problem that Marinette must prove herself. Marinette encountering obstacles and overcoming them through cleverness and strength of will is the point of the show. That's literally fine.

The real issue here is that all the characters are written rather weirdly in order to make the plot happen. Alya is the most visible victim of this, but everyone suffers from it to a certain degree.

In fact, in Vanisher 2.0 (todo look up episode title), this even applies to the villains. Sabrina does not want to steal for Chloé because it goes against her code of ethics as a police officer's daughter. Where did that come from? She has stolen from Marinette before, on Chloé's behalf, back in Darkblade in season 1. The show is just summoning conflict out of thin air.

(There is probably a joke to be made here, about how the cop's daughter steals and plants fake evidence on Marinette to accuse her of a crime, but that's a different thing.)

But it is most notable with Marinette. In Vanisher 2.0 (todo look up title), everybody sees stolen high-value goods such as… paper doilies…? appear out of Marinette's bag, after Chloé told everyone they'd be in there. And the conclusion everyone draws is that Chloé is correct.

Then in Red Volpina, the class learns that Chloé has never made her own homework, something the teacher apparently never noticed before. The class somehow agrees with Lila that this is Marinette's fault for not recognising that Chloé is struggling, despite this not being Marinette's job, and despite Chloé's insistence that she isn't struggling, she just doesn't care.

Neither of these are at all consistent with basically anything that came before. The class knows who Chloé is, how vindictive, petty and entitled she is. They also know who Marinette is, are friends with her, and a surprisingly high percentage are or have been in love with her.

From a story perspective, it makes sense, though. Both episodes want to tell a particular story. In Adoration (todo fix all the spots where I called it Vanisher 2.0), the point is to get to Zoé's big heroic self-sacrifice for Marinette. In Revelation, it's about how always seeing the best in people can sometimes lead you astray. Those are both interesting ideas in their own right. It's just that the episodes used narrative shortcuts to get us there, and ignored character consistency along the way.

I think the point about Alya is the most important one here. Saying "Alya is a bad friend" is canonically not true (look at all the stuff our poor girl puts up with on Marinette's behalf), but also missing the forest for the trees. As smarter people than me have put it, Alya is often only in the story to make Marinette's internal conflict an external one, so we can see the different sides argue in screen instead of imagining them in our head. As a result of that, Alya is sometimes her own character, and sometimes, very often in fact, just whatever she needs to be to get the plot moving.

In Revelation (todo fix yada yada), the plot they had in mind wouldn't work at all if Alya took Marinette and Adrien seriously, and acted on all the information she has. So she just doesn't. That doesn't mean she's a bad friend, it means she's a narrative tool, one that the writers don't always wield super well. Alya is far from the most irrational person in this episode (come on, Gabriel, giving Lila superpowers again? Even though you know she hates you? That's just silly), but since she's one of the good guys and Marinette's best friend and often portrayed as the voice of reason, we notice it the most in her case.

I think the show is genuinely nice and fun, but there's no denying that its writing has flaws. Sometimes more, sometimes less, and these two episodes have some that just stand out a bit. Framing that as "the show is unfair to Marinette" (or even "Alya is a bad friend") is not an interesting way to discuss that, in my opinion. The real issue is that the show had a story it wanted to tell, only twenty minutes to do so, and so it crammed that story in with a crowbar, regardless of the cost. Both episodes have enough good moments to make up for it in my personal opinion, but they have central moments that are just plain clunky.

[itburnslikeafire]

Okay but

Leaving to a side the cute adrienette moment going on here, I truly can't get over what Marinette says here.

"Sometimes the good we think we see in some people is just a reflection of our own. And we end up being fooled by our own kindness"

I think I've never heard something so true being said in this show (or in any animated series), and i think they've addressed it in a very good way.

Like

It's okay to give people another chance, if you truly feel like they deserve it and decide in your heart to give it to them. It's not a bad thing to see the good in other people, no matter what. It's not bad to hope that people change for the better or even willing to help them with that. But you must be careful of course, because (and just like Marinette says) you can end up being fooled by your own kindness. You can be taken advantage of. You can end up getting hurt or damaged in any way. So you must pay good attention to who you're giving another chance.

Of course Marinette understands this, as the sweet and kind soul she is, not just as a civilian, but also -of course- as Ladybug, always fighting for what she thinks it's the best, and giving people second chances, if they prove that they deserve it. She always does her best to help people.

We love to see it.

~ Gif credits: @ouiladybug

[geekgirles]

Adrien: Marinette's right. Lila is a pathological liar, and she lies very well. She can't be trusted.

Me:

Alya and Nino: Aw, how cute! You two are so in love you're even siding with Marinette over this even though it makes no sense!

Me: