#mlb writing critical

[cray-cray-anime]

thomas asstruc gives off classism vibes (and much more other bad vibes)

Not only cos of the whole every poor fam got great life/fam while rich kids don't in the show

But like how he will not take criticism from anyone and noone can write better cos they just wouldn't get doing work with "all these editorial constraints" and he's a professional (his words basically)

And honestly bad writing one thing, it another to enforce in your writing shitty things and act shitty to even the slightest criticism no matter how respectful and polite

So yeah I'd honestly suggest not watching, let ratings go down, i could really care less how it can get any worse (or better meaning they wasted like half the seasons)

The show had enough seasons many shows would kill for and crew are killing it but in the bad way

[motherofplatypus]

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?

[nixthelapin]

I think the writers totally missed out on using Alya and Lila as foils for both being foxes, but using the power of illusion and misdirection in very different ways.

Lila: using emotions and threats to set a trap for LB (and CN, but she’s got that personal grudge)

Vs. Alya: using her intelligence/cunning to get out of a trap (and get LB out too)

And just in general being very different people:

Lila’s entire character is that she’s a liar who will do anything to avoid the truth, while Alya is the investigative reporter who uncovers truth.

Lila as someone who hates and is out to get both Marinette and LB vs. Alya who loves and supports both

I just think they could’ve done a lot more with this, especially since they made both girls a fox character, specifically surrounding the Fox Miraculous (I know Lila never had the real one, but she did pretend to for her akumatization)- that’s not nothing!

But nah, instead Alya just becomes brain dead around Lila, believes all her lies without question (no matter how stupid or nonsensical), and doubts everything her best friend tells her when it comes to said lies. Wasted potential.

[new-kit-on-the-block]

Miraculous - The watered-down significance of akumatization

(This is an analysis, but it's also a sort of rant. So there's a lot of text underneath the cut. Just a fair warning.)

I have a problem with the way that the latter seasons of Miraculous handle akumatization.

There's a pretty basic rule of thumb when it comes to writing the bigger moments of your story:

If something is a big deal, let it be a big deal.

Seasons 4 and 5 don't always do that.

Let's take a look at what I mean.

These are screenshots of the three separate occasions that characters have broken out of akumatization in seasons 4 and 5.

Take note of who these characters are and their importance (or lack thereof) to the overall plot.

On the one hand, you have Alya and Nino, the two main characters' respective best friends. It's only natural in a show like this for these two to be strong enough to break out of akumatization, it makes the main characters look like they definitely chose their friends right.

And then you have Alix's Redditor conspiracy-theorist older brother.

Why is he one of the big three who managed such a significant feat like this?

It's not like he's been shown to be particularly strong-willed. In fact, one could argue that he's even less so than most other characters due to how much further he fell into the rabbit hole of Lila's manipulation than anyone else.

His gullibility and irrationality are the entire reason he gets akumatized in the first place.

And he doesn't ever play a significant role after this, either. The only other time that he even had so much as a speaking role was the other time he got akumatized way back in season 1 for not being allowed to sacrifice someone to the Egyptian gods.

Now, these aren't the first times that people have fought back against Hawkmoth while being akumatized. But they are the first times that they've successfully broken out.

Pixelator questioned Hawkmoth's authority over him, and in response, Hawkmoth did something with his hand that started causing physical pain to Pixelator, reinstating his control over his akuma.

The only other time an akuma victim fought back was Robustus, which was a special case because he rebelled against Hawkmoth by using the specific abilities that were granted to him.

Neither of them even tried to escape akumatization.

Akumatization has always been set up as something powerful. Something that takes the worst parts of you and amplifies them to the point of no longer being capable of rational thought.

We never end up questioning why people don't try to resist akumatization if they know that they might end up hurting people. We already know the answer. It's because they can't.

Even Ms. Bustier, possibly the character who hated akumatization the most at the time, couldn't avoid becoming akumatized despite her best efforts.

So three separate people breaking free from their akumatization should imply that Gabriel's control over his victims is getting weaker, which would be a very big deal.

But nothing is ever done with that. After Alix's brother, nobody ever broke out of akumatization again. The ability to do so is used as nothing more than a plot device in these few episodes.

Another thing is that, if anything, Gabriel's grasp over his victims' emotional state should be even stronger.

His akumas are canonically more powerful than before, to make the lucky charms that Ladybug hands out stop working against him.

If bigger and more powerful akumas don't make his hold on people even stronger than before, then the entire arc of Ladybug realizing that she can create charms to prevent people from being akumatized more than once, and Hawkmoth's counter-arc of nullifying her efforts by simply creating bigger akumas was all just a complete waste of time.

After Guiltrip, I assumed that they were building up to Rose being able to break out of akumatization through her naturally positive nature alone, and then they would have an arc of her teaching others how to do the same.

Suffice to say, neither of those things happened.

Rose's "inner voice" that she's apparently had in her head this entire time doesn't serve any actual purpose other than to make her worthy of the pig miraculous.

To be clear: I don't have any issues with Rose's invisible illness never being mentioned at any point before Guiltrip. That's the entire point of an invisible illness.

My point is that Rose's ability to break free from negative emotion-based mind control is an extremely important ability that was never even so much as hinted at before or even brought up again any time after Guiltrip.

So, once again, it's just an extremely important one-off ability that doesn't matter and doesn't affect the stakes whatsoever.

These seasons keep throwing moments at us that should be very big deals but are never treated as such.

Now let's compare all of this to an actually good akumatization-related scene.

When Chloe successfully rejected akumatization.

When this happened, it was huge, and it felt like it too.

Not just because of how impressive the feat itself was, but also because of where Chloe was in her character arc.

Chloe was under the impression that Ladybug might never let her be Queen Bee again. Full stop.

She had potentially permanently lost a privilege that really mattered to her, Lila was starting to get inside her head, and she was becoming mean to Sabrina again.

By all accounts, Chloe should've been in the stage of her arc where she started to revert back to her old self. The old Chloe would've accepted Hawkmoth's words without a second thought.

If this was the conventional Zuko-style arc that so many writers try and fail to replicate, this would've been the scene where it seems like she may not actually get redeemed, and would fall back on old patterns of hers. Which is an interesting enough arc on its own.

But we instead have a girl who doesn't have any way of truly knowing better, has no good role models, and is close only to people who enable her worst behaviors. And she chooses to be good.

Her worst fears are starting to come true, nobody seems to have any care or respect for her, and a smarter and more experienced grown man is using all of these negative emotions against her to mind control her. And she still chooses to trust the process and work to gain back Ladybug's trust. Exactly like Ladybug told her to.

The one time she was given really good advice, it stuck with her.

This is the moment that flat-out confirms that Chloe can be redeemed, and actively wants to be better.

Not only did she not get akumatized, she almost made it look easy.

But the show still makes it perfectly clear that this wasn't an easy feat by any means.

She was visibly exhausted and scared after the akuma left, breathing heavily like she almost just drowned.

But the important part is that she did it. She didn't get akumatized. And she is shown to be rightfully proud of this fact.

It's also interesting to note that no other character has ever broken out of akumatization, mid-akumatization.

In the seasons to come, several people would be breaking out of akumatization after they had already been akumatized. But Chloe is the first, and only, person to reject akumatization before it even took hold.

That's how you give a moment like this the emotional weight that it deserves, by letting it stand on its own and not bombarding your audience with the same scene played out by several other characters.

Chloe was the only one to do this, and that shows that she could bring something special to the team if she actually got the chance to be a heroine again. It makes us consider the possibility that her stubborn and argumentative nature might actually end up being a silver lining. She can still be herself while saving people. In her own way.

She can be a hero. She can become a better person. And she doesn't have to change a thing about herself.

It would be a really nice message to send.

Which just makes it all the more disappointing when it doesn't amount to anything.

If the point of her character was that she could've been better, but became worse instead, that would've made for an interesting sort of tragedy.

But that's not what it is. I know that's not what the writers intended because if that were the case, then Ladybug would've probably had some lines about how much potential Chloe had, and how well she was doing before she went back to her old self.

We don't get any of that. What we get instead is the show and characters acting like Chloe was always as bad as she is in seasons 4 and 5.

She never actually liked Adrien. She was never kind to her father or Sabrina. She never wanted to get better.

And that's just not true.

Sorry, the main point of this post was to showcase the difference between important moments that were given the appropriate emotional weight, and those that weren't. But I just went off on a bit of a tangent there.

God. Even when this show gets something right, it gets like ten other things wrong.

Anyway, TDLR: If you want a moment to be significant, let it be significant. Let it make big changes that actually matter. Don't be a coward who's too afraid to change the hierarchy of your story in any kind of way that matters.

If you want a moment to have an impact on your audience, give it time to breathe on its own, and don't repeat it for at least a little while after.

And for God's sake, if an ability is a big deal, then don't let some unimportant side character that no one cares about also have that ability. It just makes it seem like it's not.

[eddo-tensei]

This will never not make me laugh

In case you don't know what this is, this is all the sightings of Socqueline Wang in Season 5. Aside from her debut, she only had like two cameos before her big moment in Derision's flashback where she turned out to be this super important figure in Marinette's life...and then she just disappears from the season altogether after the flashback is over. Right after we find out how she got suspended, she just stops showing up for the rest of the season. She doesn't even appear in the present of the same episode or even cameo in the background in episodes afterwards. She's just gone. It's like after they showed her getting suspended and this epic farewell scene between her and Marinette where she rips off the Majesta speech from Alya (Because why not steal one more thing from Alya?), they just treat it as though she isn't in Paris anymore even though we saw her two episodes ago still helping her friends. All this does is serve to prove that Socqueline's entire character is just to provide tragedy for Marinette's backstory and nothing else. I can't even say this is salt for Socqueline because this feels like the writers throwing her out as soon as she apparently fulfilled her purpose in showing Marinette having a big sad because of mean old Chloe. She doesn't even appear in the background of Revolution in protest of Chloe, which you think she would considering how much she hated Chloe. It's an instance of them just creating a disposable character purely just to prove a point and instead of keeping her in the cast, they just throw her into the bin because she doesn't serve a purpose anymore. More people hate Chloe now and that's all that matters to the writers. Screw actually developing this character who's supposedly a great figure in one of our main character's lives. As far as the writers are concerned, she already fulfilled her purpose in the narrative and that's infuriating to me because of how utterly manipulative it all comes across as.

Is this irrational? Am I too upset at the treatment of what's basically a minor character in this show? You be the judge.

[burgendee69]

Something I find interesting is how both marinette and adrien fans will say that the other is the narrative's favourite and they're both right and wrong at the same time. Marinette is never allowed to succeed because the writers need to make sales and continue the show because if it weren't for this out of character incompetence, Marinette would have defeated Gabriel by season 2. Adrien is never allowed to act because Marinette needs to be the centre of the story and the writers seem to think that this means no other character gets to do anything.

[gryficowa]

The others blame Marinette for Chloe's behavior

The others blame Chloe for Marinette's trauma

And I blame Thomas for everything he wrote and did with his characters

[lostinbooks14]

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).

[wisteriasymphony]

devastated that adrien's only plans for lycée are to share classes with his girlfriend. he really can't have one single unique interest can he. like... idc that I personally headcanon that he's interested in literature and languages and stuff, he could be planning on taking classes in computer science or economics or medicine or just... ANYTHING.

honestly the "I just want to be with my girlfriend, whose name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, because I love my girlfriend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng" feels more like a copout than anything meant to be cute.

[m3nt4llyr4v3d]

There are very, very few Lila fics where she’s redeemed/good/chaotic. And honestly that’s fair, a lot of the people salting on her are understandably frustrated by the worst lies she tells and the sheer amount of plot armor she has

But then I see the occasional fic, where it delves into her life or her mindset, where she makes some friends, or when she learns that the people at her new school do genuinely care about her and maybe she should just indulge in it, and it always leaves me desperately wishing that canon went a different direction with her

Right now we have a living paradox where she tells the most ridiculous and obvious lies to her peers and the adults and not a single person has actually figured her out yet, her plot armor being so strong that it bends reality, and Adrien’s own friends don’t even believe him

The way she’s written makes it damn near impossible to not want to salt on her, so much so that Gabriel has more fics where he’s good than her. Writing a redemption fic kind of requires a bit of an overhaul of how she’s written

I dunno what I’m yapping about here honestly, I just want more of those types of fics, cause her character is so interesting to me, just not the way she actually is in the show. The few I’ve seen where she’s just a chaotic good/neutral force are the most fun imo (maybe I should write a Lila fic)

[weirdgirl92]

I was just watching a Miraculous Ladybug salt video on how Luka was completely wasted as a character, and one of the commenters interestingly pointed out that Marinette should’ve told Luka her Ladybug secret instead of Alya, and now, looking back…yeah that actually would’ve made way sense for S4. Don’t get me wrong, I like Rena Rouge, but Alya was never exactly the most trustworthy when it came to keeping secrets. Plus, we already had gotten a pretty decent Rena Rouge storyline in S2.

[motherofplatypus]

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.

[nixthelapin]

You know, I liked Lila as a character much better when she was just a lonely girl who lied to get attention and clout rather than some evil mastermind who somehow has three (3) different identities and has a secret lair in the catacombs under Paris.

But the writing team doesn’t want to hear that.

[celestiall0tus]

Redemption is a noble idea, but...

not everyone is capable of redemption. It is a sad, but honest truth. I'm not saying this to be a negative nancy, but I work with people who are down on their luck, at odds with the law, and I see this. I see people given a chance to better themselves, to get a fresh start on life, but they don't always take those chances and opportunities. Some are just genuinely in denial while you have those that know they have a problem but can't find the strength to stand back up again. After all, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. Now, I know in media we get an escape and something we wouldn't normally in life. A fulfillment that can only be found there because of how shit life is. However, not everyone is worthy of redemption, especially a fast redemption.

I'm going to rip this old bandaid off. The Diamonds didn't deserve a redemption. Yes, Diamonds. Yellow, Blue, and White (I'll get to Pink in a whole different post as her story wasn't about redemption) The Diamonds were evil tyrant dictators that committed atrocities across the universe in their conquest. Immediately, Yellow and White aren't exactly deserving of a redemption. Now, Blue had redeeming qualities. She cared more for Pink than the others, mourned her, kept her memory alive, and actively sided with Steven first, but there's one big thing that really taints it for me. The gaslighting and abuse that Blue participated in towards Pink. I don't care what your opinion of Pink is, but the fact is that she was a victim of abuse. She was locked away, told she was "loved" and constantly treated as less than a Diamond. I have no doubt that Blue truly loved Pink, but the way she participated in the abuse and how it was quickly wrapped up will never sit right with me. Especially in the end when Pink is damned while the other Diamonds are redeemed.

To my Miraculous fans, we recently saw this. Gabriel, the worst of the worst, given redemption. This one is a little... muddy. So, he was granted redemption, but he granted it to himself. Mari tried, but was stabbed in the back. That I appreciate. He was able to use the wish to get what he wanted. He didn't need Mari to keep a promise or anything like that when Gimmi gave him exactly what he wanted, at the cost of himself. So, it's really muddy. No, he didn't deserve a redemption, but he won. He got what he wanted in the end. If he lost, but was offered redemption, that would be one thing. However, he actually won. He got his wish and rewrote reality to what he wanted. Again, it is extremely muddy and unclear. I do hope that in season 6 we get some answers. However, even I know that is too much to wish for.

On top of that for my Miraculous fans, I'll briefly touch on the big ones being Felix and Chloe. One who was given a redemption while the other who was started to give redemption, but then given a damnation.

Felix is a mixed bag. He definitely was a little shit at the start and it was genuinely jarring to see him again in Emotion wanting to help Adrien when he actively tormented Adrien. He was a good candidate for redemption, however, it needed time. As it stands, Felix's redemption was so jarring and quick. And, this could be just me, but is a little tied to Kagami. He really changed when Kagami was introduced into his life, and it's cute. But I'm so tired of this. I'm so tired of a romantic interest being the reason a person changes. I get love can change people, but I'm so fucking sick of it. I do wish we could have seen more of Felix's shift rather than drops of vague intrigue.

Now the sore spot: Chloe. Allow me to say this, I will be using the correct terminology for this when addressing her arc. It is my duty as a writer to address this as professionally as possible. If any of my phrasing or terms upset you, grow a pair.

Chloe, like Felix, was a perfect candidate for redemption. What made her redemption far more compelling is that we had time to digest it. It wasn't just dropped on our heads like Felix. We got to see the horrible mother that Audrey was (bitch was straight savage), the trauma that she endured because of Audrey's abandonment. It doesn't justify what she did, but it gives context. On top of that, you can buy her actions as a coping mechanism as she tries to act just like her mother. This does lead her to doing horrible things, that which is pretty bad, but it doesn't make her completely irredeemable. What ultimately led her to a damnation arc was Ladybug. I'll just say it, Ladybug was hypocrite. She told Chloe no more Queen Bee, but then acted rashly and gave Kagami the dragon again, despite Kagami revealing herself. It is no wonder that Chloe would turn to Hawkmoth in her most vulnerable moment.

Speaking of, there is a reason villains attack during a person's weakest. Chloe was a die hard Ladybug fan. She was utterly devoted because Ladybug was her hero. However, her hero tore her down and destroyed her, much like her own mother. This brings her to a vulnerable point. It's a lot like the original Disney's Ariel when Ursula goes after her. It is directly after Triton destroys the grotto and Ariel is shattered. The moment that they are at their weakest. And yet, both Ariel and Chloe are blamed for their actions without analyzing the events that lead them to it. Ariel had everything she loved destroyed by someone she loved dearly. Chloe had her devotion and hope shattered by a person she idolized. And yet people wonder why they did the things they did.

Chloe was someone that was on the right track to redemption, but was damned by her idol. I honestly think it is poetic, but wished there was acknowledgement. The damnation could have worked more if Ladybug acknowledged her own faults and tried to actively right them to put Chloe back on track for redemption. You want them to be seen as grown up by season 5, Astruc, add these moments. Ladybug blaming Chloe was not right by any means. Ladybug is at fault. She was the final straw that destroyed Chloe's redemption arc and pushed her towards damnation.

That is all for this post. I have one more to address a little later, but first need to collect my thoughts on. Stayed tuned for that one

[raedshadowlegends]

Miraculous Ladybug Season 5

Hello my dearest goobers. I hope you all are well.

I am here today to share a review I have written of Miraculous Ladybug Season 5. I used to be a fan of this show but I realized how ass it was mid-season 4. So I didn't watch s5 until it was almost done. And when I did, I decided to watch each episode and write a whole comprehensive review.

This project took me several weeks, several migraines, and several painkillers. It was a labor of loathing and it whittled a few years off my lifespan.

And I forgot that I wrote this thing up until now. So I'm going to subject it to everyone who reads this post.

If you're a person who isn't a huge fan of Miraculous Ladybug, likes swearing, bad jokes, incomprehensible commentary, and one big breakdown at the end then this review is for you.

It's a long one but I think it's a fun read.

Miraculous Season 5 Review

I hope you enjoy if you read it. If you do, please let me know if you have a favorite part! I don't share my writing/reviews on social media like this so I would love to hear from you if you read it!

[starlight-bread-blog]

The Adrigami Breakup Was Hot Garbage.

This is the episode where Adrien and Kagami break up. The reason why they broke up is because Adrien is Cat Noir and will always have to hide things from Kagami, and she's not having it. It's an episode about how the job of a superhero demands sacrifices, about how Adrien lost his girlfriend to his duties.

But this entire thing falls apart due to both Adrien and Kagami acting from out of character to infuriating. Adrien isn't actually shown to face these struggles as Cat Noir. We don't see him "being a responsible superhero" he's just goofing around and getting Ladybug's attention.

Adrien: Finally! Free at last! Plagg, claws out!

And here when Ladybug doesn't show up to their daily patrol:

AdriCat: So, Mr. Banana! Life's peachy, huh? *gets ignored*Peachy? Banana? Get it?.. Forget it.

AdriCat: So! Mr. Ramier! It's been a while since you were akumatized, right? Kinda miss being Mr. Pigeon? You haven't been feeling depressed? Or desperate? Or angry? Annoyed maybe? Not even a little perturbe?

Mr. Ramier: Thank you for asking Cat Noir but I am in the best of spirits, really!

This is the face Adriem makes after he says he's feeling good and isn't gonna get akumatized:

AdriCat (disappointendly): Well I guess I'm out of here then.

Mr. Ramier: Say hello to the lovely Ladybug for me!

AdriCat: Sure thing! If I ever see her.

Literally, this entire first act is establishing that Cat Noir is sad and lonely without Ladybug to the point where he wants people to get akumatized. Like go back and watch the episode this is insane.

Only after that we get to Kagami. And the relationship is.. off. Kagami lies to both their parents to buy her and Adrien time alone in the art room. She asks him to pose for a sketch, he makes a couple model poses, and the bullshit begins.

Kagami: These are all modeling poses. Try something that's more neutral, more you.

Adrien: What about – meow! *Makes a Cat pose* I mean, now? *nervous chuckle*

Kagami: No. You're not at all neutral.

Adrien: Yes I am, I promise. This is me.

Kagami (intensively): No. That's you when you're being silly.

She's downright rejecting his true self and being a control freak. Where did this come from? They used to crack jokes and have genuine fun together (ie Desperada). This is extremely out of character. But it's not over..

Adrien: What if when I'm being silly, I'm really me?

Kagami: *Gets up closer to gently make him pose*

Adrien's expression is.. um-..

Kagami: There. This, is really you.

Adrien: Do you really think..

Kagami: Yes. You're... perfect. *Leans for a kiss*

What does this scene tell us about their relationship? It tells us that it's toxic, that Kagami is controlling, doesn't care for Adrien's boudries and refuses to see who he really is. Which as I mentioned, goes against her characterization in previous episodes.

After whatever that was Adrien keeps getting called to his duity as Cat Noir. This back and forth continues for a while. But as we established, it's not a meaingful sacrifice to leave Kagami because being a superhero is just professional (and not so proffesional) playtime for him. And the episode keeps on reminding you that all throughout. We cut from Kagami being alone at a party they were supposed to go to together, to this:

AdriCat: Ma'lady, it's been a while since I had this much fun.

Ladybug: *Laughs* If battling a super villian with 3 eyes and a giant monster budy is your idea of fun, I can't imagen what your other days are like.

And in the same conversation:

AdriCat: You can count on me, and my jokes, Bugaboo!

Ladybug: Well, you don't have to over-do it.

AdriCat: The truth is, I only ever have this much fun when I'm with you.

And then he comes back straight to Kagami like nothing's wrong. She confronts him about his lies to her and gets akumatized.

Even when he fights Akumatized Kagami to save her, they still make a point at showing you he's having fun.

AdriCat: I can't wait to see what you're gonna do with a drone.

And his reaction after Ladybug confronts him about sacrificing himself:

Ladybug: Seriously you've got to stop doing this to me!

AdriCat: Yeah, but I can't resist this angry little pout of yours when you bring me back.

Excuse me?

And then, I am not kidding, while still being with Kagami, this happens:

Adrien: *Stares into the sky* Oh, Ladybug...

Plagg: Aww how romantic! I get it, even if I do love every cheese on the plate, I always come back for my favorite.

After fencing class they have the conversation. The break up is caused by Kagami not being not being able to trust Adrien. And this is how thw show, including Adrien himself, frames it too.

AdriCat: You know the difference between us and the rest of the world, ma'lady? We can't be completely honest with each other. We keep secrets, and sometimes we have to lie.

Okay, let's sum everything up:

He emotionally cheats on Kagami and is willing to admit it out loud with no shame.

He loves that subject of infatuation so much to the point where he's openly sad about monsters not attacking Paris.

Shows no remorse to leaving his girlfriend every time they are together, and very explicitly enjoys his time with another girl he's in love with.

At the end of the episode him and the writers push all the bs under the rug and claim Adrien is just following his duties.

....Wow. I remembered Lies being a terrible episode for Adrien but it wasn't until I watched it again that I've realized how much Adrien sucks. I am trurly baffled. Top tier character assassination.

And let's not forget Kagami. What the hell was that? Why did she act like that? Why all the sudden she's toxic and controlling?

Well, all of this nonsense is done to serve a very obvious not-so-hidden hidden agenda: Ladynoir good, Adrigami bad. The writers pretended to tell a genuine story about the duties of being a superhero but couldn't help but sneak in this horseshit. They essentially wanted you to subconciously pick up on what this episode is really trying to say: Kagami doesn't know Adrien's true self, she forces him into the "perfect role" and is incompatible to him. While Ladybug knows his true self. Therefore, Adrien can only be happy with Ladybug.

Kagami isn't controlling and incompatible to him. But that didn't matter to the writers, they have a message to put out. They had retcon her characterization to create a contrast that didn't really exist.

And this applies to Adrien too. He needed to be happy to leave his girlfriend to push the... "message". He needed to emotionally cheat on her like he did to push the message. He sacrificed himself so it would show his so-called love for Ladybug. He wanted people to get akumatized so he could be his true self with his beloved Ladybug. But all of these things don't make him to be compatible with her and destined to be with her, they make him an a$$hole.

And I'm not gonna buy into this message they snuck in there with retcons and infuriating behaviors.