Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chatnoir would've been so much better if the writers gave both Ladybug AND Chatnoir powers essential to defeat an akuma. Imagine,
Ladybug- Creation- The Miraculous Ladybug power which recreates all that shouldn't have, but was, destroyed.
Chat noir- Destruction- The power to purify akumas which allows the weilder to destroy what shouldn't have, but was, created.
Ying and yang, good luck and bad luck, creation and destruction, perfect balance.
They both would've used their powers for good because, as Tikki and Master Fu and all those wise, ancient beings point out, destruction is just as important as creation, dark is just as important as light, bad luck is just as important as good luck (which would've been such a cool theme to dig into but gods forbid the writers ever use this show's full potential).
The funniest thing about thomas and co watching the finale and explaining stuffs while they're at it is that they made it worse by a long shot. It's like beating a dead bush with a dead horse while digging their own graves.
Explain that Mari is actually aware that Gabe is Monarch? Doesn't explain why she's going to his house without Chat to beat his ass.
Jokingly saying that Jagged's crocodile is important to the fight? Nice joke, but care to explain where this whole Kung Fu trio and pet plot came from?
Said that they had planned that Chat won't be in the final fight with Hawkmoth since the beginning? Good job, his character turned out has always been this worthless.
It was Amelie at the end and Emelie stayed dead? Good to know the last 8 years of her irrelevance actually became irrelevant.
Said it was actually Marinette's win? Of course when the villain finally achieved their goal it is the hero's victory.
They actually believe that Gabe is a hero? Hooray, so glad they actually believe that the terrorist who has no qualms nor remorse for physically and mentally beating his own son that he enslaved for his own business is a hero.
And that's not including how they don't explain how people become Miraculized despite it not being akumatization, or how Lila isn't affected by the nightmare, or why Gabe unified Tikki and Plagg in Deflagration instead of making the wish despite it doesn't requires him to unify them.
And those were from two episodes alone. Imagine if they had to explain other episodes, like Evolution and Derision. How deep can they dig their own grave?
So apparently the Miraculous writing team released commentary on the s5 finale, during which they explain that Chat Noir not being in the final battle was planned from the beginning. (All the way back in 2014/2015)
Like, they had to come up with a reason (they were struggling to figure out how to keep Adrien away instead of him, like, cataclysming the wall determined to help his Lady) for that specific outcome, rather than a good reason supporting the outcome.
And their big reason? Wanting to use the Bug Noire combination on Marinette. That’s it. They left out the second most important protagonist, one with personal connections to the villain… because they wanted a cool power up scene.
Just when I thought I couldn’t hate that outcome any more than I already did.
Ah, yes... the old excuse of ‘Félix doesn’t have good chemistry with Marinette’. As someone who has written a 26+ chapters story with the setting in the Ladybug PV Universe, I have to say that I have never encountered any problems where it was “impossible” for me to write Félix and Bridgette’s dynamics without creating bad chemistry between them.
Although, maybe it’s because I’m using a very special and very unique writing technique known as - character development.
Honestly, the more I think about Miraculous Ladybug and its characters, the more I think that the only reason they decided to make Adrien a Nice Guy is because they couldn’t bother writing some actual character development for him and instead decided to just hand him everything he wants on a silver platter. After all, isn’t it easier when your character already is super cool and super special and has just the right amount of trauma to make people sympathize with him in order to let him get away with literal murder (on multiple occasions!)?
To me, Adrien is a very one-dimensional and bland character who has no progress aside from flipping an internal switch and no life aside from obsessing over a girl. Take away his role as Cat Noir and him being Gabriel Agreste’s (the main villain) son, and there is really nothing that makes him appealing nor interesting as a character. Even if he is given an opportunity to develop as a character, he whines until the universe bends backwards to reward him without doing anything to deserve it.
It is also hilarious how they brought back Félix to be the one to actually progress the plot instead of letting either of the main characters figure out that Gabriel is Hawk Moth/Shadow Moth/Monarch, because they need to focus on unnecessary drama instead of actual story progression.
Seriously, this screams “We couldn’t bother to put effort into writing Félix, so we gave up”.
ah yes, spoken just like someone who has been raised to believe love is conditional and has gone from prioritizing his parents' feelings over his own to prioritizing his girlfriend's feelings over his own
Gabriel: "I became a terrorist because I still loved and miss Emilie, and that's why I abused and gaslighted everyone; including Adrien."
Marinette: "I forgive you, I'll make sure I never tell the truth to anyone. Not even Adrien."
Félix: "I stole the miraculouses from you because I was ashamed for being a sentimonster, and I was abused for being one. I just wanted them to be free. Which is why I committed genocide."
Marinette: "I forgive you. Wanna join our team as the new Peacock holder?"
Chloé: "I bullied you because my mom abandoned me, and daddy didn't know how to raise me properly. I felt jealous, insecure and useless towards you. That's why I became Queen Bee and betrayed you."
“In a good show, you're angry at the characters. In a bad show, you're angry at the writers. I don't hate Chloe, Zoe, Luka, Kagami, Lila or Marinette, because none of them are being written consistently and so instead I feel vaguely bad for all of them, like I would a friend who has crappy parents.”
Whenever i talk in favor of Chloé there have always been people telling me how she did nothing to deserve the miraculous, that she doesn't deserve a redemption, that she never showed any signs of wanting to be better. I don't agree and in this post i go in detail on why.
Since day one they've written her as a horrible person and I've never denied that. But i do say that there have been more than just signs of her being written as someone who could be better. I'm just not being blinded by hate. Let's recap some episodes...
I'll try to be as brief as possible.
-Despair bear. How many of us know someone stinking rich? Maybe just from the distance? Do you really think that rich people allows their employees to talk to them the way Chloe's butler talked to her in that episode? Sure, when Chloé felt humiliated she yelled at him, but that doesn't take away that she had allowed him to get emotionally close to her. He knew her, what she had lived and how she felt. And she listened to him.
People say that her effort in this episode doesn't count because she only did it because it was convenient for her. She cared about Adrien. Even then it shows good in her. She cared about him. Adrien. Not his money, not his position, not his fame.
This goes against what the writers forced on her later on season 3 finale when they said she only loved herself.
- Zombizou. Oh, i love this one. People saying that she only apologized to Miss Bustier because of Chat Noir and Ladybug were there. Apologized only so she could get her miraculous again. Look at her facial expressions:
She even felt self conscious when she noticed Ladybug and Chat Noir watching them. And that wasn't an act. The character's acting is supervised by the show's director. Look how the show portrays when someone is lying, here is Lila in Protection:
And it's more than just the visuals. Go watch the episodes, listen to the music. Chloé apology do was sincere.
I've also been asked "Then why didn't she apologize to Marinette?" Well, a truly shoehorned redemption arc would had her changing just like that, from one moment to the next. It feels more natural if it happens little by little, step by step.
-Malediktator. Last week i showed a video of Marinette choosing to trust Chloé with her miraculous. Let's now take a look at this scene:
Again, look at her facial expressions. She dreamed of being a hero along side Ladybug. She was so into the moment that she almost slammed against the chimney. She admired Ladybug. She wanted to be her. That was shown since season 1:
Again, more than once i've been told she only wanted the spotlight and Queen Wasp is brought as the source for that.
Have we forgotten the Queen Wasp episode or are we choosing not to see what happened back then? Audrey couldn't even remember her daughter's name. She was praising Marinette, offering her the opportunity of a life time. Offering to take her to New York with her, when she hadn't even taken her own daughter with her. May the first stone be cast by whoever wouldn't truly feel jealous and hurt by something like that.
Chloé had tears in her eyes. Audrey said the only exceptional thing about Chloé was being her daughter. Chloé replied (and i quote):
"I'll show you how exceptional i can be!".
It was then that she transformed into Queen Bee for the first time and it was after that that she did the thing where she put the train in danger so she could be the hero to save everyone. Wrong, yes. But again, this was a character that was just beginning a redemption journey. She didn't want fame, she was looking for her mother's love.
-Miraculer. Come on... How can people say she didn't try to be better? She was being offered power and she rejected that.
Yes, later she embraced the akumas, but till before season three's finale she had been written differently. That was a character that could truly become a good person. That didn't happen not because she didn't have the potential, but because the writers didn't allow that to happen.
Let's not forget she's a fictional character. I mean, in Lilo and Stitch. Stich was genetically designed to want to destroy everything and even for a character like him there was redemption. It comes down to whether the writers want to write that path for a character or not.
Then Mayura tried again, she offered her the chance to retain the bee miraculous. If Chloé had truly only wanted the spotlight she could had accepted the offer. She wanted to be a hero and this time not to impress her mother. Not because she wanted the attention from the media. Come on, she's super rich. If she only wanted to be famous she could have easily made that happen.
This scene was a huge mistake from the writers and they tried to patch it up with Miracle Queen episode:
They knew they were going to keep handing the same miraculous to same people. Alya has been even trusted with the Ladybug miraculous twice! So, of course they had to write the Miracle Queen episode to say "Look, she's bad, she can't be trusted."
I don't know how much of the fandom didn't like that, so what did they do: "Chloé hate campaign" all along season 4. And now what they're giving us for season 5. And all this,... Why? For what? To represent people who will never change? That's an excuse and season 2 and most of season 3 are proof of that.
If after this recap you still think that she was never written trying to be better,... I'm sorry, but it would be that you don't want to see it, not that it wasn't there.
An idea that i don't see people talk about is Chloe being Adrien's sister figure. She had mommy issue earlier than Adrien, then when Emilie was dead, she felt unconscious responsibility to protect and take care of him. All of her affections are all platonic. That's why she hates when Adrien having new friends, bcs they took him away from her. Like, imagine if Chloe has brother complex.
I swear there's a lot that can be explored from their relationship if the writers aren't cementing themselves in "Make everything about Adrienette" and "Adrien is a damsel in distress".
Sigh, another day another wasted potential the show had.
Calling all Adrien stans! Calling all Marinette salters! Calling all salt fic haters!
For those of you who don’t know, I wrote a sequel to the infamous Karma of Lies fanfic, with the help of a friend, and have decided to start a series where I write sequels to fix certain salt fics, especially those who are harshest to Adrien. But I would like some co-authors. Anyone who is interested, please comment on this post.
SUGGESTIONS
No one sees me but know I’m right here by kellikat23
Rejection AU by various
The Wolves in the Woods by FoxWitchWrites and Rafe_Minsi
Two Letters by CartoonAddict564
The Karma of Lies by CartoonAddict564 (because that one is just so horrible and needs more sequels)
Karma Overbalance by Shadymissionary
New Life and New Friends by Cornholio4
What Goes Around Comes Around by Cornholio4
Leave comments if there are any other stories you want to see.
there's so much to be said about the mlb writers' utter failure to utilize luka properly after wishmaker. even beyond knowing that adrien is chat noir, luka now knows that adrien's existence revolves around his parents to such an unhealthy degree that his aspirations and existence have been molded by their expectations. and because adrien doesn't even know this about himself, it means luka now knows more about adrien than almost anyone in the show.
I find it hard to believe that a compassionate guy like luka wouldn't try to intervene in some way - to try and subtly offer his support. imagine an episode of him awkwardly trying to encourage adrien to pursue his own passions and live for himself without explicitly addressing it (because he can't let adrien know the extent of what he knows). it would've let luka and adrien bond over having a troubled relationship with their parents. it could've offered adrien the opportunity for self-reflection and growth. but because adrien only exists to be a prize for marinette, the writers can't allow it. everything has to be erased out of existence and reset to status quo.
that's one of the things that frustrates me about this show most. they write great set-ups for lore and drama, character development and emotional payoff, and then almost always squander it or retcon it away for the sake of ensuring marinette's centrality in the plot. but by doing so, they undermine the complexity of every character, including her.