#scene juleka

[wisteriasymphony]

she home on my stuck till i sburb

[fabseg-reader]

Miraculous fanart: Reflekta (Chloenette AU/Alternate Ending)

I present to you a sketch of the Miraclass (It's in pre-Volpina period).

It's the scene when the class breaks the "curse" of Juleka in Reflekta (1.21).

But it happens in an Alternate Universe where Chloé and Marinette are used to be childhood friends. More even, the two girls have been temporary lovers. Chloé is just a semi-bully instead of a full bully.

First rank, from left to right: Ivan, Nathaniel, Adrien, Chloé, Marinette, Alya and Kim

Second rank, from left to right: Nino, Rose, Juleka, Mylène, Sabrina Max and Alix

Original scene :

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir belongs to Thomas Astruc and Zagtoon.

[maestro04yayyy]

Here is a little one shot i just finished writing while on the train!!!! (There might be some grammar error or misspell since I wrote on my phone)

Chloe opened the door of her classroom with a yawm.

Maybe spending the night playing pokemon had been a bad idea but she had bet with juleka that she would have a complete shiny living dex before the end of the year, and she WILL win this, the reward was just too good to fail.

And sleep is for the weak anyway, so Chloe slowly walked toward her seat and as soon as she was sat she took out her nintendo from her purse and started playing again before class started.

Sabrina gave a curious look so Chloe nodded her head toward Juleka, who was chatting with Rose and Ivan at her desk at the end of the room, while restarted the fight against against oh-oh for the 3 thousand two hundred seventeenth times, yes she is keeping count, also yes finding shiny legendaries is ridiculously hard.

The redhead nodded in understanding and started to watch her friends fail again and again to find a digital animal with a slightly different color with an amused smile.

"What's the bat and the reward this time?" Sabrina asked.

Chloe restarted the fight again while answering," have a shiny living dex before the end of the year, as for the reward it's a week long sleepover/date at the liberty" chloe's voice got more excited on the last part.

Sabrina tilted her head in confusion, "Don't you live there already basically?"

Chloe pouted, " yes, but every two or three days I have to go back and sleep at the hotel otherwise daddy would get worried"

Sabrina laughed," like you actually sleep, i a.pretty sure you have sugar and coffe instead of blood now"

Chloe laughed too.

Ms. Bustier arrived and a moment later dupain-cheng and class started, Chloe managed to play pokemon even during class but got caught when she finally catched the shiny bird and cheered loudly.

That's why she is now alone in the classroom, she got detention, she could have avoided it but was in a good mood and arguing with her ridiculous teacher would have spoiler it, but it was worth it and she saved the game before bustier took her console.

Chloe heard footsteps and the door opening, revealing her girlfriend.

She immediatelly jumped to her feet and rushed to her.

"JUJU!!!" She cheered right before hugging her.

"Chlobear" juleka laughed as she hugs her princess back, "what got you so excited in class?" She asked while starting to run her finger in the golden hair of the shorter girl, caressing them and her head.

Chloe delighted by the touch smiled even more rubbing her head a little against the goth's chest and a happy squeal escaped from her throat.

"I found a shiny oh ho!!!!! I am on my way to victory now" she said triomphaly.

Juleka chuckled softly, it was quiet and easy to miss but chloe loved it more than her own life.

"Yes you are chlobear" she said gently with a little smile before walking toward a desk amd sat down, it was a little hard walking with chloe clued to her and demanding her all of her attention, like the excited and spoiled puppy she was, but she as long since mastered that skill.

So now that juleka sat chloe made sure to snuggle herself on her legs, back agaisnt her chest while she tried to look up at her and rest head on her shoulder.

Juleka chuckled again and petted her girl.

"You are a good girl" juleka whispered softly to her ears before kissing her head.

Chloe could feel herself melt at this word and just smiled happily in her girlfreinds arms, too tired and content to do anything but enjoy the attention.

"You are the best girl, chlobear" juleka said again and this time kissed her just next to the lips making chloe whine a little.

She laughed softly again and then kissed her lips while whispering

"I love you".

[mystic-myrtille]

The only leak that matters

[mlbhorrormagic]

Rose’s actual age

*causally drops this on your laps*

So! I don’t know if I did mention this before but Rose is hella lot older in this AU.

Same thing with Juleka. (That’s kinda a given because she’s a vampire.)

But! There’s quite a age gap between Juleka and Rose.

I actually did the math on my notes

Rose is physically looking like 16~18 years old but her actual age is 213~215 years old.

I dunno about Rose’s official birthday date but in this AU, her birthday would be on March 20, 1804.

So…you now know about her actual age.

As for Juleka? She is physically looking like 17~19 years old but her actual age probably would be 50~53 years old.

Also, we might get some background information about Rose’s parents- at least about one of parents and their job.

And the whole scene are loosely based by the scene where Milo learns about Kida’s actual age from ‘Atlantis: The Lost Empire’ movie. (Some elements are changed.)

[19thsentry-blog]

In The Shadows

Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic (Lukanette Endgame)

Chapters

Prelude | Chp 1 | Chp 2 | Chp 3 | Chp 4 | Chp 5 | Chp 6 | Chp 7 | Chp 8 | Chp 9 | Chp 10 | Chp 11 | Chp 12 | Chp 13 | Chp 14 | Chp 15 | Chp 16 | Chp 17 | Chp 18 | Chp 19 | Epilogue | Worlds Not Our Own | Timeline

Chapter Two: First Meetings (AO3 Link)

Chapter Snapshot

Luka found himself by a stand of Jagged Stone records, memorabilia, and photos. One thing he was glad of for living this long was being around in the same time period as Jagged's music career. Luka had lived to hear it all—the sounds they now called classical, bluegrass, black metal, psychedelic rock--even shoegaze and sludge. Still, not much hit him as hard as Jagged. He picked up the latest Rock Giant record with a sense of anticipation--he didn't own this one yet. Luka stared at the scratch and sniff sticker in the bottom left. There were some things he'd never get used to as long as he lived, and the constant ingenuity of the human mind was one of them.

"Wooow, c'est ma conception! À New York!" A voice squealed.

Luka turned slightly to his right to find a small bundle of energy that looked about to explode. Dark black hair in two buns on top of her head, big dreamy blue eyes, and pretty lips stretched in a wide smile--she was beautiful, but the way she was standing reminded him of a squirrel that was eyeing a giant nut high in a tree. The comparison made him suppress a laugh and he accidentally caught her attention—apparently, her one-track mind had erased him from existence while looking at the Jagged Stone records. Her face turned pink, and she began to babble in mixed French and English. "Uh, haha, sorry to er, vous interrompre--non, non, interrupt--" She smacked a hand over her face, leaving Luka utterly charmed.

The man in the corner waved almost jovially, like a father who had seen a family friend show up at a backyard barbeque. It did not fit the atmosphere. The rest of the occupants of the bar were hulking men with close-cropped hair, or lean and wiry foxes in ghastly, gaudy get-ups; there were heroic-suited men and women jovially swapping stories and daring young bloods in ripped jean jackets with piercings. Keith Richard’s fingers picked their way through a haunting guitar riff, sounding through the bar from the stereos, the noise settling just beneath all the conversation being shared back and forth by its patrons. Patrons, who for the moment, seemed to be ignoring the quiet, lean, and unassuming man practically hiding in the back. He was in business casual wear befitting an accountant, with slightly ruffled brown hair that was graying at the temples. Only a few non-committal eyes noticed when Luka began to wind through the tables and barstools to meet him in the corner of the bar.

The man across from him licked his lips as if he was nervous while he watched Luka sit. "You're here! Thank goodness. Don't quite fit in here, do I?" he chuckled. The grungy bar tucked in the New York alleyway was not meant for fatherly figures--it was meant for those with powers. People like Luka, whose black jacket and dark suit were accented with bright flashing teal on his back, splayed out in a warning pattern, lyre bumping against his thigh like a gun in a holster as he settled.

Luka leaned back, appraising the man across from him with a tilt of his head. "Not quite." That was all he would offer--the man almost looked disappointed, but he bounced back.

"I have a job, a request. I can pay, of course!"

Luka studied him for a moment longer, the man's fingers tightened reflexively around his glass of bourbon. The shine on the table reflected a warped set of his features as if Luka were looking at the man through a fun house mirror. He seemed harmless enough, with crinkles that appeared in the corners of his eyes when he smiled or grimaced, but there was a slyness in his eyes and something about the set of his jaw that Luka was not fond of.

"What's the job?"

The man made of show of looking relieved, as if he hadn't expected to get this far. "My nephew is coming to town, see, and well--they're rather well off. I um," he coughed slightly and sniffed. "I'm worried that something might happen to him because of--because I have some debts, you understand, and the people I'm indebted to don't, uh, they suggested that they might…"

Luka raised an eyebrow. "Sell your kidneys for cash?"

"Right, yes! Ah, but they found out about my sister-in-law, and I think they might…try something else instead." The neon bud lite sign attached to the wall next to them shined red light on the man's teeth while he spoke as if he had a mouth full of blood.

"And as a self-professed poor man with debt up to his ears, you think you can pay?" Luka watched a drop of sweat bead down from the man's forehead to his neck, disappearing beneath his light blue polo collar. Luka wasn't particularly fond of making other people nervous, but if you didn't act like you could give as good as you got, you were going to get run roughshod.  

"I got the cash," his eyes flicked to the rest of the patrons in the bar as he lowered his voice. "2,500, barely a drop in the bucket of what I owe so there's no point in--well, you get it. Wouldn't need you to fight anybody, just watch over him and make sure no one touches him when he's here for the day. Baby stuff for a guy like you."

Luka pondered that for a moment. There was no way in hell he'd ever have enough money to buy the potential cure for Mullo--he'd given up on that thought as soon as he had it. But he needed information on where he'd be able to find the stuff so he could…liberate some. Quietly. And information like that didn't sell cheap. Besides, something about this man was niggling at the back of Luka’s brain, like he warranted investigation.

The man wiggled uncomfortably in his chair. "I can pay you upfront, just--you gotta help me out, or--I don't want to think about it."

"When's he getting into town?"

He sagged. "Soon. Just a couple of weeks. I'm not sure of the time yet."

The man's desperation was real, although Luka could sense he was not telling him the truth. After a month in the city, he'd started feeling the occasional pinprick of someone watching him. It never lasted for long, but it was definitely there, and it was definitely not welcome. He needed to get out of New York with the cure as soon as he could. "Alright. But I will be taking the payment up front."

The man all but ran out once the dealings were done--they would meet up again on the 20th so Luka could collect the payment and find out when the boy would be arriving in New York, but that was still a few days away. Plenty of time to try and squeeze another job in, if he could find something. Luka stared hard at the forgotten drinking glass his ‘client’ left on the table, the spherical ice cube slowly melting to mix with the scrapings of bourbon left behind, shadowed in red.

"Need a get-rich-quick scheme, yeh?” Amber eyes flashed with inspiration behind a cloudy glass. “Right, here's what I'm thinking--bank heist! You, me, some magic whatsits and a duffel bag. Could take over the bloody world if we wanted to!" A wide smile stretched over a thin face and a pierced brown eyebrow quirked jovially before he frowned. "Just a suggestion s'all, lighten up mate. Wasn't serious…much."

Luka rubbed his eyes. Yeah. He needed to keep himself busy.

The day Marinette walked into Mood Fabrics; she knew she could die a happy woman. Roll her up in a bundle of sweater knit and she'd cheerfully sleep there the rest of her life, and probably haunt the place when she was dead. The whole garment district was like an explosion to the senses. Vast skyscrapers in gray, tan, and stainless steel hid away floors and floors of color and pattern and texture, and as diverse as the selection of fabrics was, so were the hands that pulled them from the shelves or out of barrels on end caps. There were people in all directions, and she was directly in the center but could hardly call herself adrift. Marinette was one of them--a creative in her element, her designer's brain inspecting each roll her eye caught, judging the weight and the stitching and the quality of each ream.

Less gainfully occupied were her friends, who had spent 30 minutes exploring the 3 floors before simply following Marinette as she sniffed out interesting fabric like a crazed bloodhound. At 45 minutes, Alya's hand lovingly clamped on Marinette's shoulder. "I know you could wander this store until closing, but it's 5 pm and we haven't eaten since brunch."

Marinette spun around with blood-red silk in her hands and a guilty look on her face. It was true, she had dragged them all around the block, in and out of stores for-- "Five! Five o’clock?!"

Alya's lips turned up in a smirk, one hand on her hip. "You didn't notice at all, did you?"

"I had no idea! How did that happen?" Marinette pulled her phone out of her purse, checking the time just to triple, quadruple check it really was five o'clock. And it was. Her eyes roved over her friends, a penitent giggle escaping her lips. "I'm sorry guys. I can--I'll just put this back." Although she had thought it would look incredible as the underlining to a long, dramatic coat, something with flair, something a little dangerous but elegant…

"It's alright, Marinette! We didn't get tired," Rose said, attempting very kindly to placate her. The yawn afterward and Juleka and Zoé's nervous glances didn't help sell it.

"How's this--we'll go wait for a table at the fusion place on the corner of 7th and 38th. When you're really ready you can text me what you want, and I'll order it for you." Marinette flushed a bit. Alya was compromising with her like she would her younger twin sisters, but she appreciated it.

“Thanks, guys. I won’t be too long, I promise.”

Rose grabbed her free hand lovingly. “It’s alright! If you walk away with inspiration for your portfolio, it’s all worth it.”

The portfolio project was a hellish one by design already—she’d spent a lot of long hours designing (although most of those had involved throwing discarded sketch paper at her walls). But if she was going to do it, she was going to do it right. The girls began walking to the door, but Alya pulled her aside for a moment. "Listen, I've got a lead on our snake friend," she whispered excitedly.

Marinette’s mouth gaped open. "You did?! Really?! Oh my god, you're amazing!"

Alya preened from the compliment. "Tonight at nine, you and I are going to talk to the owner of that blog, The Americans. I got in contact with her, and it sounds like she's got some deets she hasn't shared with the general public. So, wrap up your fabric frenzy and meet us for dinner so you'll be well-fed before then."

It had only taken Alya 2 days in New York to get a lead on her missing Miraculous. Now she would at least have some news to bring back with her to Paris--her kitty pager had yet to alert her to any issues going on at home, so at this point, she could already consider the trip a win. Marinette quickly finished up her purchases, moving from "Marinette: World Class Designer" in the fabric stores to "Marinette: Black Hole of a Stomach" at the fusion restaurant, followed up hopefully by "Marinette: Ultimate Detective".

At 8:50 Marinette and Alya were both excitedly buzzing, waiting for their ‘lead’ to show up, staring down at the front door from a second-story corner table. Arcade machines beeped and chirped all around them, colorful screens flashing like a siren's call to Marinette's fingers. After a suitable amount of time invested in her Guardian duties, Marinette resolved to celebrate with some light gaming as a celebration of a job well done. A group downstairs whooped and hollered around a Street Fighter II machine.

"I think we found Max's tribe," Alya said, stirring her cherry coke. If there was one regret she had about having her birthday in New York, it was that the drinking age in the States was 21. There would be no first appearances of drunk Marinette (although considering her luck it would probably have ended with her head in a toilet, spewing the colorful cocktails back out of her system). All in all, it was for the best, but she still felt a pinch of disappointment at watching the other patrons of One-Up drinking yummy-looking mixed drinks out of flashing LED bar glasses.

"I think you're right," Marinette laughed. "We should take pictures before we leave. Ooo, they have a picture booth down there--you know the one where you can add funny frames and hearts and stuff?" She loved those things, even if her phone could add the same effects to selfies, it totally wasn't the same.

"Oh, that would be fun! A good way to commemorate a momentous occasion," Alya sing-songed. She tapped Marinette's nose. "The day Marinette finally moves from one boy obsession to the next."

Marinette frowned and crossed her arms over each other on the table. “That’s being a little bit dramatic, don’t you think?” she asked, moodily stabbing at the ice in her drink with her straw. She wasn’t sure why Alya was so insistent on talking about this guy like he was the second coming of Christ for her love life. She'd held a flame for Adrien for so long that it seemed impossible for anyone to cool it, but was there some future out there where she did love someone else? Would they reject her just as kindly, each and every time? God, that was a hellish prospect. Alya and Nino were as serious as ever, Juleka and Rose were already moving in together, Ivan and Mylène were a match made in heaven…was she going to be the only one stuck alone for the rest of her life? Her brain couldn’t help but catastrophize, her heart starting to pound in her ears as fast as the pings of the cloying arcade machine behind her. Alya's big gray-gold eyes flickered in surprise, her hand almost coming to touch her shoulder.

"Hey." Both Alya and Marinette were startled out of the moment, turning instead to the girl who was sliding into a chair across from them. She was short and stout, with thick straight black hair and a nose ring, dressed in a frilly crop top, skinny jeans, and high-top converse. Her maroon-colored lips seemed to always be pulled up in an uneven smirk, giving her a ‘who really gives a shit’ air. "So, you want to know about American Supers," she said as if she were in an infomercial.

Alya blazed through introductions, a journalist in her element, adding afterward a professional, "Of course, I think we should both reiterate in person that anything said here tonight is off the record unless implicitly stated otherwise." That phrase got Marinette buzzing--it always sounded so thrilling in movies. Kind of dangerous (but like, the more harmless dangerous. Not Akuma rampaging through Paris dangerous).

The girl across from them, K'din, nodded sagely. "Agreed, doubly for me. No scoop stealing."

Alya waved a hand. "This is just professional curiosity, nothing more."

K'din lifted her glass and swirled the pink, fruity beverage for a moment. "I doubt it'll stay that way, once we're done. Let's get down to brass tacks." She gulped her beverage, set it down, and then grabbed a black bag with a white stenciled pentagram over the flap from where she'd left it on the ground. K'din started to pull something out before giving a skeptical glance at Marinette. "How much does she know about Supers?" she asked Alya.

Marinette jumped to her own defense. "I know stuff! I know all about Ladybug and Chat Noir." Understatement of the year, that one.

Now that Marinette had said something, K'din seemed more willing to address her. "Right--you know French Superheroes. Not exactly the same thing as getting it, though. No two Supers are the same. Like, Hayali ānibesa, the Mighty Lioness in Ethiopia? She has a totally different source of powers from heroes like Knightowl or Ladybug."

Okay, so maybe she didn't spend a lot of time looking into heroes from other countries. "Oh…right…then I guess I know a little bit?" Marinette amended, pinching her forefinger and thumb together.

"Ladybug is gaining notoriety for sure, but she's not a household name out of France. She's got some limited-edition merchandise, but it's pretty rare comparatively. Since you know her the best, let's start there. Ladybug’s powers are granted magically via an item, but aside from that, we can assume she's just a normal human under the mask. Now we can look at Nightowl, who has killer quad strength but mostly relies on gadgets to help them out in the Superhero biz. Majestia? Totally different beast. She's practically indestructible, and that's just how she was born. So, we kind of have to divide heroes into different categories."

K'din took a purple legal pad out of her bag and a pen from her pocket, writing down her points. "On this side, we have normal humans. On this side, we have mutants. Divide those two in half, and we have normal humans who use magical gear, normal humans who use purely scientific gear…then we might have, say, magic humans. They might use magic or regular tech to enhance their abilities, or not. Get me?"

And here she thought Alya could really go on tangents. Marinette nodded as K'din pushed the piece of paper towards her, picking it up to read the scrawling writing on it.

"A lot of my job comes down to this--figuring out what category a Super falls under and then cataloging their powers, their weaknesses, etcetera. I don't post all of it on account of certain…federal issues," K'din ground out, clearly indicating there was no love lost between her and those 'federal issues'. "But even so, it helps to have all of that categorized before I post anything on my blog so I can write an informed post. If what you're writing isn't informed, your credibility goes to shit, obviously."

Alya gripped her drink excitedly. "You know what kind of Super this guy is?"

K'din deflated at that, slouching back into her chair. "And therein lies the rub. No—what I’ve got amounts to jack shit."

Marinette could tell something clicked with Alya, although at this point she was just along for the ride for this conversation. "So that's why you agreed to this meeting--you're looking for someone to bounce ideas off of. I'd wondered why you were suddenly so willing," Alya said with a smirk. "That blog post was so sparse, you were trying to see if you could catch any leads by posting it, right?"

K'din shrugged unenthusiastically but returned the smirk with one of her own. "Yeah, you caught me. And there was nothing promising, either. I got one potential lead in the sixty or so comments, and they never responded back." Well, there was one of her questions answered. The comment thread Marinette had stared at for hours had apparently amounted to nothing.

Alya pinched her drinking straw between her forefinger and thumb and went into thinking mode. "Alright, so we've got one comment out of sixty saying they hired him for a job, but they never specified what kind of job…we've got one blurry photo of him, but no idea what his powers are? I mean, the picture looked like he was in the air, right?"

"Mmm--right," K'din set down her drink after taking a sip and pulled her bag up to her chest, digging back through it to pull out a purple folder, pulling one piece of paper out. She placed a large glossy photo on the table, the funky lights of the bar dancing over the Snake holder's face. "I was there when my friend took this," she said, her sharp manicured nail tapping the blurry smile. "He can definitely get air, and I doubt he's using Air Jordan's. His suit isn't all that special, no blinking lights or bulky pieces, so I can only assume magic. The lyre is also weird--I mean, I don't think of "Lyre" when I think "Snake", do you?"

Marinette had to bite her lip to not spill the beans on ‘Well, they don't always make sense, take it from me! He's using a Snake Miraculous, and I know because I'm Ladybug’. Yeah, that would go over well. Luckily, she didn't have to wait long for K'din to get to the point.

"Of course, I don’t think "yo-yo" when it comes to a Ladybug, either." She raised an eyebrow at Alya.

"You think he's one of mine?" Alya blinked in surprise before taking a closer look at the pictures.

"I don't want to jump to any conclusions or narrow my view of the situation--but it's a decent theory worth consulting an expert for."

Marinette was starting to feel a bit impatient--whatever other theories K'din had weren't exactly interesting to her when she had it on very good authority that he was a Miraculous holder. "Do you have anything else on him?" she asked, probably with more enthusiasm than what she should have let on for just a vaguely interested bystander.

K'din didn't seem to mind, launching straight into another monologue. "I have other theories and research, of course, but in regard to this? Yes. Based on the Ladyblog," she nodded her head at Alya, "these miraculous items have been here since Egyptian times, likely before then, too. In which case I figured there might be some kind of trace of a previous Snake hero. I found zilch. At least nothing on the internet. So, the idea of trying to trace who had the miraculous from point A to B? Basically useless."

"It's like that for the others," Alya sighed. "I tried, but it's spotty at most. There are hundred-year gaps everywhere I look for the Miraculouses we know about. But if all you've gotten is one blurry picture, it wouldn't surprise me that if it is a Snake holder, they specialize in stealth. Maybe that's where their power lies."

The conversation kept spinning around things they didn't know but Marinette did, and she had to play along to poke the conversation around to what she wanted to hear. "So, where did you see him when you took the picture? Have you been able to track him down since?"

K'din sighed, tapping the table with a long fingernail. "It was taken by Bryant Park. My friend and I were out that night and caught a glimpse of something weird, so we chased it down. He caught them taking the photo though--he threw his freakin' lyre at them like the stupid thing was a boomerang. Totally smashed their phone. They were pissed at me for weeks." She rolled her eyes as if the anger at her hadn't been justified in the slightest. " But no--haven't seen him since."

Alya patted her back when she visibly deflated. Marinette listened half-heartedly while K'din and Alya continued to swap theories and suggestions on if he was a Miraculous holder or not, what his powers might be, and everything in-between. She doubted they would ever get very far. With the Second Chance power, any Snake holder would be able to re-do events to not be seen if that's what they wanted, and no one would ever know the difference. All in all, she was back to square one--running around New York like a chicken with her head cut off.

Rough Trade was one of Luka's favorite record stores. He wanted to be careful when visiting this time because he wasn't sure if the same owner was still around, and he didn't feel like playing the game of "No, I'm not the guy who haunted this place in the 90s, I'm his son" or "No, we've never met before, do I know you?". Back in the '90s, his hair color had been a revolving door, but the new blue he'd settled on recently probably wasn't it--maybe that and time would help his case.

Modern clothes had much more flair than what he'd grown up with. As a boy, he hadn't relished the thought of high society wear, which hadn't mattered much considering he was broke as a bird back then. By the time he'd really learned to leverage all his skills and the sheer amount of time he had, men's fashion was a bit more fun. He had more or less settled on a certain style, dark blue and black hair, black painted nails, hoodies, skinny jeans and converse, a piercing, and the odd tattoo or two to round it off. He hoped the look kept staying around because he wasn't looking forward to changing it up. At the moment, he fit in with today's clientele of Rough Trade, and that pleased him.

The thing about record stores these days was that nothing here was older than he was; the records were like photo albums to him, snapshots in time recorded in song, sold wrapped in thin plastic. Luka pushed his sunglasses on top of his head and underneath the hood of his jacket so he could read the fine print on the back of the David Bowie record he was holding. It was more out of something to do than curiosity--he'd owned Low back in the day and could sing every song on it at a moment's notice if he needed to (not that he ever needed to, nor did the few people who ever heard him sing want an encore).

He’d been in West Berlin at the time. The city in the late 70s had been a mixture of punks, squatters, and foreigners those days, the oppressive air of fear and panic bred an outburst of sound and experimentation. It had been a haven for people like him, just as much as it had been for Bowie. Luka shoved the back on the shelf and meandered around the aisles, just enjoying the moment and listening to the music coming from the speakers (Sade, Smooth Operator from '84) and the chatter around him.

He found himself by a stand of Jagged Stone records, memorabilia, and photos. One thing he was glad of for living this long was being around in the same time period as Jagged's music career. Luka had lived to hear it all—the sounds they now called classical, bluegrass, black metal, psychedelic rock--even shoegaze and sludge. Still, not much hit him as hard as Jagged. He picked up the latest Rock Giant record with a sense of anticipation--he didn't own this one yet. Luka stared at the scratch and sniff sticker in the bottom left. There were some things he'd never get used to as long as he lived, and the constant ingenuity of the human mind was one of them.

"Wooow, c'est ma conception! À New York!" A voice squealed.

Luka turned slightly to his right to find a small bundle of energy that looked about to explode. Dark black hair in two buns on top of her head, big dreamy blue eyes, and pretty lips stretched in a wide smile--she was beautiful, but the way she was standing reminded him of a squirrel that was eyeing a giant nut high in a tree. The comparison made him suppress a laugh and he accidentally caught her attention—apparently, her one-track mind had erased him from existence while looking at the Jagged Stone records. Her face turned pink, and she began to babble in mixed French and English. "Uh, haha, sorry to er, vous interrompre--non, non, interrupt--" She smacked a hand over her face, leaving Luka utterly charmed.

"You're not interrupting," Luka replied in French. He couldn't get the idea of her as a squirrel out of his head, especially when her head snapped up and eyes grew wide out of surprise. In general, he didn't make a habit of flirting. It seemed to lead to dates, or to relationships, and having been down that road, faced with the decision of how to tell them about himself and the bracelet around his wrist wasn't something he wanted to get into again. Luka didn't like lying, anyway. If he was going to be with anyone, he'd want to tell them the truth. Most normal people probably wouldn't stick around if he said, Yeah, I'm over 140 years old and I have a bracelet that gives me the power to turn back time as much as I want to, want to date? Still, the girl was cute, it was a nice day out, and he had a Jagged Stone record in his hand that he hadn't owned before. What could go wrong? "I'm Luka."

"I'm Ma-Ma-Marinette," she stuttered, her hand loosely coming up to wave at him slightly. Luka never went out of his way to look attractive to other people, but it was flattering to know he at least had some effect on a pretty girl.

"Hi Ma-Ma-Marinette," he chuckled. Unfortunately, his flirting was rusty. Marinette turned her gaze from him to the Jagged Stone records, her imaginary squirrel tail twitching in embarrassment. She probably wouldn't be too happy with him comparing her to a squirrel, come to think of it. "You like Jagged Stone?" Luka asked, trying to re-break the ice.

"Oui! Er-yes, sorry. I'm practicing my English. Uh, but I do like Jagged's music! I designed the cover for it," her glance drew down to the record in his hands.

"Woah, really?" That was a tall brag. Not that he didn't believe her, but that would be pretty incredible--not something he expected from someone who looked so young. Not that 140-year-olds in 20-year-old bodies should throw stones in glass houses, but…

"Oui, oui! Look, see?" She flipped the record over in his hands, and he tried to ignore the way his heart stuttered when her fingers touched his. "There!" She pointed down to the fine print on the cover, where he could make out Graphic Designer: Marinette Dupain-Cheng in white lettering. Marinette must have decided this was not enough evidence, because she began to dig through the black and light pink bag she had slung across her body and flipped open her wallet, showing an ID with her face and name on it with a triumphant smile.

"Wow, that's really neat." He was genuinely impressed, and that seemed to please her. "Although you probably shouldn't go showing your ID around to everyone you meet."

"Oh, well, yeah, ah ha ha, I don’t go showing it to everybody of course." Marinette shoved her wallet back in her purse hastily. "I just showed it to you, because--uh…"

Did wanting to see her flustered make him a bad guy? He couldn't help it if it did. He smiled; an eyebrow raised. "Because…?"

Her mouth gaped open and closed, not sure how to follow that up with something that wasn't awkward. Just when he was thinking about giving her an out, Luka's eyes caught something in his peripheral. All the levity he had been experiencing drained out in an instant on seeing the girl with long black hair and dark clothes at an endcap, flipping through records with another girl next to her.

He’d never seen her in person before, but of course she would speak French, like Marinette. Did they maybe come here together? Marinette made a soft, disappointed, "Oh," sound upon following his line of sight. He tried not to stare, looking instead back down at the album in his hands. "Do you know her?" He asked, mouth bone dry.

"My friend, Juleka. …A-and her girlfriend!" Marinette tacked the last part on quickly as if feeling stupid saying it at all. He wasn't sure why--the world had certainly lifted its stigmas enough that romantic relationships like that weren't as taboo as they used to be. Then he felt stupid, realizing the real reason she looked so dejected and awkward.

"Oh, I wasn't--" Luka shook his head. "She looks so much like my sister used to; it threw me off. Sorry."

"Oh!" Marinette let out a deep breath. They both laughed, unexpected relief at salvaging the moment they had been experiencing rolled through. Luka gave himself one more glance at the girl--at Juleka. He probably didn't need to worry. She had no idea who he was, and there was no reason for her to. A part of him wanted her to recognize him, for her to feel like there was some deep blood connection that she couldn't quite shake, but she didn't. Instead, Juleka’s eyes met Marinette's and she smiled briefly before turning back to the girl in pink by her side.

"Well, I probably should get going," Luka said. It had been nice, and he was probably going to fixate on the past 5 minutes or so for a long time. Longer than he should for as innocent as it was. He didn't want to push his luck into getting tangled into something he really shouldn't. Still, he didn't want to forget this, and he didn't want to forget the disappointed look in her eyes that he was going. He bit the inside of his cheek nervously for a moment. "Can you wait here for one second?" He asked her.

She blinked several times before nodding. Luka left her by the stand and went up to the cashier in search of a sharpie.  The girl behind the counter gave him a weird look behind her thick-rimmed black glasses before handing one over, watching him run back to Marinette.

Luka held out the sharpie, prompting her to grab it. He unwrapped the record cover from its cellophane (trying to make sure he didn't rip the price sticker) and then held that out to her too. "Your autograph. Because obviously, you're going places."

Marinette's blush came back full force along with some mixed English and French babble, but she took the record cover and began to sign. She looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes before hastily finishing it and handing it and the sharpie back, signature side down. "It was nice to meet you--!" Marinette said quickly, running off without looking back.

He frowned as she fled. How had he managed to fuck that up so fast? Luka didn't flirt because he didn't want to think about the consequences, and also because he was reminded once again that he was very bad at it. He walked back to the cashier, unable to hide the dejected slouch in his stance when he handed the sharpie back over.

"Struck out, huh?" She asked sympathetically, popping her bubble gum between her red lips. He put the record and the cellophane on the counter with a sigh.

"I feel for you man." She scanned the cellophane and read the total for him, grabbing the record so she could put it in a bag. Luka reached in his wallet for a twenty when he realized the cashier's formerly impassive face had a huge grin slapped on it. With a Vanna White game show flourish, she flipped the Rock Giant record around, exposing the signature and several numbers on the other side.

It took Luka a second to realize Marinette had added her phone number beneath her name, and the fact that he hadn't fucked up and that she had just been embarrassed crashed over him like a wave. He turned around to see if he could spot her--not that he knew what he'd do if he did.

"I think today is your lucky day," the girl at the counter said as she took his twenty and handed him the bag with his record.

He couldn't help the wide grin on his face as he accepted his change and new souvenir. "No kidding," he said back, flicking down his sunglasses.

"Invite me to the wedding!" The cashier waved as he walked out.

There would never be a wedding, obviously, and he doubted he would ever have the guts to use the number now emblazoned on his record. Still, it was nice out, he had the new Jagged Stone record in hand, and a cute girl out there might be thinking about him today. Maybe the cashier was right; it really could be shaping up to be his lucky day.

[felixfathom]

Some of the kwami-holder dynamics definitely feel more thought out and balanced than others? Maybe the ones we actually get to see? Tikki and Plagg are perfect matches for Marinette and Adrien, Fu and Wayzz seemed to work well together and Nooroo probably would have been good for Gabriel if Gabe actually took his advice for once. Felix and Duusu definitely feels like it should be one of those thought out dynamics with a ton of potential and impact. On paper they would work beautifully. Pollen was so cute and she WOULD have been good for Chloe if they'd actually let Chloe keep her. Notable ones outside of that?

kim and xuppu in party crasher for me ! not many people care (understandably so since it didn't even happen in the "official" ladybug way) but i liked the matching goofy energy!

[eddo-tensei]

They had over four seasons.

Socqueline was in an arts and crafts store in Paris throughout the entire run of Miraculous. There was nothing that indicated she left Paris. Just that she was forced out of College Dupont. She was in a store that Marinette could probably walk or take a bus to so the latter could see her "best friend." This also could've been a place that Marinette hung out in to pursue her dream as a designer. This is a place that Marinette could've brought people like Alya, Mylene, Juleka, Rose, Alyx, and many others to. Yet we never got a scene like that, much less one where they got to meet Socqueline.

They had four seasons to implement this character into the show. Four seasons that all had a consistent count of 26 half-hour episodes, something that most cartoons these days WISH they had, along with some specials. They had all of that time and their only "hint" to Socqueline's existence until Season 5 was Marinette changing her hairstyle before the series.

This is not a character you just drop into a series. They had plenty of opportunities to introduce Socqueline and how important she was to Marinette. If she was this important to her, SHE SHOULD'VE BEEN IN THE SHOW FROM THE START. I don't care what justifications you have. This is garbage and given that this is supposed to be for a character who was SUPER important to Marinette as a person, it's even worse. At most, beyond the fake Ladybug episode, it feels like the main purpose of her character is to shoehorn in a ridiculous incident into Chloe's list of crimes. An incident that doesn't even make sense even when she's there. For someone who's supposed to be Marinette's idol, it sure is interesting that she wasn't even a presence in the show until she cosplayed as Marinette's alter-ego in SEASON FUCKING FIVE.

And before you cry and tell me I'm being mean, this is not me "hating someone who protected Marinette with her life." This is me hating the writers shoehorning in a character that was supposedly super-important to the main character and then treating her like a fucking guest star. They made her as a narrative tool to justify Marinette's questionable behavior. That's not good and if this was actually planned from the start, that's even worse. You shouldn't be proud that they basically left a character in the backburner for four seasons (over a HUNDRED EPISODES) and then plant her in Season 5 without even giving us a hint of her existence beforehand. That is fanfic tier writing. I know this because I write it myself.

Please have better standards for your shows.

[lostuntothisworld]

Spaghetti theory time:

The "Luka lying to Ladybug about her secret identity after he was so fired up in Truth only to lie to her in Wishmaker" salt has died down for the most part, but I would like to bring it back up.

I'm gonna do you all a favor and copypasta the transcript below, because I know nobody is going to rewatch the episode.

Marinette: I'm sorry about earlier. There were mosquitoes on the boat, I thought we needed some insect repellent but the drug store was closed so I had to- Luka: Shh, listen, the song of the water. If you listen carefully at this very spot under the bridge, you'll hear a melody. (They listen to the river and smile at each other.) You know, I never knew my father and my mom would never bring herself to tell me. So when I just couldn't deal with it all, I would take refuge here and the melody of the water would console me. What about you, Marinette? Where do you go when you disappear? Marinette: Uh- Luka: You tell me, I'll accept it. If you're still in love with Adrien, I'll understand. I won't be jealous you know. Marinette: That's not it, not at all. Luka: Whatever it is, I just want it to be the honest truth. Marinette: The truth, Luka… is the only thing I can't tell you.

Then we get shocked Luka. He get's akumatized/amokized, and the scene continues:

Shadow Moth: Truth, I am Shadow Moth. I'm giving you the power to force people to tell you their most sacred secrets. Luka: (struggling against it) Truth needs to be shared, not taken by force, Shadow Moth! Marinette: (shocked what he just said) Uh! Shadow Moth? No! Luka, please resist, I am so sorry! Shadow Moth: Why should you resist when she doesn't trust you? Luka: Marinette does trust me! Marinette: I do! Of course I do! Shadow Moth: If she trusted you, then she would tell you the truth! (Upon hearing this, Luka becomes shocked, so he kneels.) Accept my power and you will know everything. And all I ask of you in return is to expose Ladybug and Cat Noir's little secrets. Luka: (succumbing) Run, Marinette! 

...

Luka does NOT want to force the truth out of Marinette. He tells her to run! And it's very much implied it triggered a traumatic past when his mother wouldn't tell him who his father was. What if his mom used the exact phrasing of "The truth is the one thing I can't tell you," when things got bad? If there's one thing Miraculous is good at is shocking the audience with traumatic backstories. I have my own theories as to what Luka and Juleka's traumatic backstories are... And are we really going to victim blame Luka for not being able to resist, especially when resisting Gabemoth and breaking akumatization was not actually known to be something that can be done at this point? Onto Wishmaker:

Lots of people are upset that Luka lied to Marinette at the end of Wishmaker with regards to hers and Chat's secret identities. They want Marinette to be angry with him, and for Luka to face consequences. Lying is supposed to be bad, isn't it? And Luka got akumatized into a villain who was dead set on finding the Truth, and he just lied to her about it. Inexcusable! Which is a valid interpretation if you take it at face value.

Now let's fast forward to Migration, and a little theory I've had since the episode aired: Secret identities and masks are a metaphor for being queer. Let me explain the metaphor in more detail: by rewinding back to Wishmaker and the metaphor presented to us then.

In Wishmaker, child Alec was bullied for his big hair, which he was very proud of. So he shaved it all off to fit in with what society wanted him to be. His akumatized form had a bald cap, and in the end Alec decides to "live his truth," (Astruc's words not mine), and essentially wear a big wig and become a drag queen. Iconic.

Oh yeah, and his nightmare in the season 5 finale was his father shaving off his hair.

Gonna have to link this shitpost here, just for an interesting comparison.

(It's interesting to note that both Griffe Noire and alternate Adrien have partially shaved heads, and should be included closer to the bald end of the chart in the shitpost)

Anyway, it's a bit of an unwritten rule that you don't out another person, even if you know they are queer. You have to wait for them to come to you with this reveal. It's sensitive information, and could potentially be extremely dangerous for the person being outed. A similar parallel to being a superhero with a secret identity.

Using this logic, it's not surprising the animators made Chat surprised when Luka detransformed in front of him in Ephemeral even tho he had a front row seat to Luka in Miracle Queen.

Onto the next scene of interest:

Marinette: If I tell you, things will never be the same between us again. (shakes her head) It'll mess up everything, maybe even destroy it. Alya:(voice breaking) Marinette, I'm your very best friend. Marinette: And I… I'm Ladybug.

I was actually shocked with this scene back the first time I watched it. Yes, the reveal, but also how everything in it is presented. To the dialogue, to Marinette's reasonings and how it'll mess up everything between the girls, and how everything will change and be destroyed, to Alya's oddly somber reaction to finding out her favorite superhero is her best friend, and then the subsequent hug.

It's framed as a coming out scene.

So let's circle back to Luka lying to Ladybug back in Wishmaker, and keeping that secret until Migration. His choices there make a whole lot more sense with a queer lens.

Don't believe me? Remember, Migration (the episode where Luka's lies and secrets are brought to light), is the episode that Luka shoves Adrien in a closet and he falls out of the closet as Chat Noir.

Those bedroom eyes at Luka sure do make a whole lot more sense here.

[rel312]

I forgot the Miraculous Awakening movie was supposed to come out so now I’m gonna ramble about it (spoilers!):

The jumpscare of hearing Marinette sing in a completely different voice took me off guard

I’m loving actually seeing gabriel as a fashion designer and what his stuff looks like

Chloe sounds… very much not like Chloe and it’s off putting (idk if it’s a different voice actor, I’m not looking it up)

“Think you an I were meant to be” I love Alya

Emilie? This clearly in the movie??

Was that Luka I just saw next to Juleka? At school???

The black cat on the book!

Adrien looks so pretty in that shot

Are… are Nino and Adrien already friends??

Gabriel’s hair

The loss of Emilie seems to be a lot more recent/present than in the series

Ohhh it’s her birthday

The lore is very interesting in this, we’re getting a lot more that wasn’t there in the show

So the miraculous have a choice in this for their holders I guess

Fu is so funny

The moon!

Was… was the black cat a coincidence? How did it get there? I don’t think it was Plagg so what was that??

So the first akumatized victim is not a child this time

There’s a ladybug too? I’m so confused

“Who saves a life saves the world” interesting that it’s more prophecy-like

I keep forgetting this is a musical

I love the beats of the theme song though

Is- is Tikki rapping???

No transformation sequence?

So she’s aware it’s a musical?

Is the yo-yo sentient???

No Adrien and Plagg intro scene?

Adrien is so funny he’s so excited to be a hero

Pretty different ladynoir dynamic, cat noir’ not immediately smitten

“A she-ro” please no

She called him Kitty!

CARELESS WHISPER???

Now he’s smitten

“Like a dream in a dream” Adrien you have to work on your lyrics

But the moon

Fart jokes? Really?

PTFAFS

Adrien going from she’s my side kick to she’s better than me in every way

Puss in boots

“I have nothing to lose” um your son??

Gabriel villain song kinda goes hard ngl

Is he making multiple villains? I’m so lost

Are they making Mr. Mime a real villain now? Not Mylene’s dad?

Also who is this pink haired lady?

“Dr. Love” Nino I love you but you’re so wrong

So Nino already has a crush on Alya and not Marinette

Aww Tom gets to hear Marinette call him the best

Only to immediately think she’s embarrassed by him

Nino losing his glasses on the ride is legit my biggest fear when going on rides

Transformation sequence!

Where did she actually transform though? She was just in the middle of the fair

They learned to work together fast

So I guess he doesn’t need to say the word cataclysm?

I love Ferris wheels rolling around scenes

Lmao Marinette really went I’ll save your life but you’re going in the dumpster

The timeline of this movie is very confusing, Nino is in love with Alya? But wasn’t it just the first day of school? Or was it just in the middle? When did Nino and Adrien meet? I have so many questions

Was the balloon thing a person? If not who created him and how?

THEME SONG!

Are we really getting all this adrienette development in a montage?? He told her about his mom, they went to the movies, they had a double date with Alya and Nino, and were barely getting it???

I love the glitter in Cat Noir’s mask

Ladynoir moment by the moon!

Marinette stood up to Chloe!

Adrien you cannot scare a person like that

The hearts in the balcony and the moon again!

I’m loving the visuals in this movie

“For the first time I feel truly free, it’s all thanks to you” my heart!

Ladynoir seems to be the main ship of the movie and I’m not mad about it

Oh my god their dance by the moon! I knew it was coming but I love it so much!

“How could I ever think she’d fall for me” Adrien stop she does love you she just doesn’t realize it’s you

Gabriel looks like shit and I’m glad to see it

I’m glad Adrien was able to stand up to him though

She actually managed to ask him out holy shit!

I mean I know it’s sad cause he rejected her but she actually managed to do it look at her!

I… did not think her shirt was a tank top this is so weird

Hawkmoth is akumatizing himself???

Careless Whisper again??? Are the writers ok??

Did they really need the takeout death?

The- the moth miraculous just… ate the ladybug miraculous???

I guess they don’t quite have cataclysm and lucky charm, their powers work a bit differently

Gabriel’s face at seeing Adrien, now you finally see what you’ve done you SOB

I’m glad they get to reconcile

So she can just… fix everything without a lucky charm??

Her dress is so pretty!

And she’s not wearing a mask!

The reveal in this is so interesting but pretty cute!

The way she took off his mask and put it on her was so freaking cute!

Really? Cut to the end right before the kiss??

So he does have Emilie in the basement?

Wait a minute I don’t think we ever got to see Chloe and Adrien interact in the movie lmao

The movie started a bit more cheesy and childish but overall they did a pretty good job of telling the story. The visuals were stunning, though the story was a bit rushed but they did a good job. There wasn’t quite enough time to develop the characters and their dynamics but they did the best they could with the time they had. The person who did Marinette’s singing voice was amazing, but I wish they found someone who sounded more like Marinette if they couldn’t use the same voice actress. The lore was a bit different but I kind of like it better than how much we started getting in later seasons, I just wish we got a bit more explanation on some things cause we don’t have the show to give us answers anymore. The only reason I feel like this ending with gabriel and Adrien works is because they didn’t have as much of an abusive relationship and he actually had a chance to redeem himself, but I’m glad he has to actually deal with the consequences. I know there are tons of fanfics about it but it’s so sad that while Marinette knew who Adrien was, he had no idea if he’d ever see Ladybug again but I’m glad that got resolved pretty quickly. I’m confused on what they want to do next cause they clearly were setting up for some kind of sequel but gabriel is already out as Hawkmoth and Nathalie only helped him during that time but I guess we’d just have to wait and see.

[wisteriasymphony]

scene juleka. i don't make the rules :p

[fabseg-reader]

This is a sketch of Purple Tigress and Vesperia kissing together.

Yes, we still on Pride Month.

Commissioned by @pokegirlshipper.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

How would you have handled the other miraculous holders?

I would have massively cut them down. The season two lineup was fantastic, though you could get away with two or three more. Eight really is about the max you can hit for a team before you start bloating the characters assuming that you're only dealing with one central group. If you're dealing with lots of side teams, then things get more complex.

There's a concept in writing called "Kill your darlings," which I'm only mentioning so that you have something to Google if you want to know more than what I'm about to tell you. The basic idea is this: to tell a good story, you need to be willing to cut things you like if they're detracting from your overall story.

As a personal example, I really like Juleka and Rose. I think they're cute and I like putting them together as a couple. But narratively speaking? They don't matter. You could cut them from the story and nothing would change because they're just casual friends to Marinette and Marinette really doesn't need more close friends for the stories I want to tell. Add in the fact that Purple Tigress and Pigella have awkward power sets that aren't all that interesting and, yeah, my love for these two does not override the fact that they have no place in the stories I want to tell. So I find ways to mention Juleka and Rose from time to time and I use them in a scene when I can, but most of the time? They're not in my stories because the goal of my stories is usually love square shenanigans and not showing off a cute healthy sapphic couple.

Similarly, the goal of Miraculous is the tales of Ladynette and Chatdrien, so the focus needs to be on them and these extra characters are really not needed. A fact that's super clear because of how underdeveloped the side heroes are. Most of them get a single recruitment episode and that's it. There's no build up to establish them as solid heroes, leading to them eventually being chosen. It's all shoehorned into 20 minutes and then largely ignored after that. I mean, Nino has been Carapace since season 2 and he's in a mere handful of episodes, none of which are all important character moments outside of his initial debut. The only temp heroes with anything interesting going on are Viperion, Queen Bee, and Rena Rouge/Furtive.

If I HAD to include the other holders? Then I would have massively cut back the love square content and come up with ways to power up the butterfly so that the extra heroes felt necessary. I might have even brought in additional forces of evil to battle. I also would have given the various team member clearer roles and given them their miraculous full time because you really do need to make massive changes for the team setup to work.

Team shows are wildly different from dynamic duo setups. Compare Kim Possible to Teen Titans and think about how different the focus is. Kim Possible has two very clear main characters while the supporting cast takes back seats. Teen Titans doesn't have a clear main character. All five Titans are given a chance to shine as the main character shifts from episode to episode and even season to season with each Titan getting a chance to be the center of an ongoing plot. If you want to have a team while keeping Chat Noir and Ladybug at the center of the story, then you need to build that team around them which you really can't do if you have a massive team of 18. A smaller team, though? You can make that work. For example, I still think Chloe's recruitment should have been a chance to give Adrien a character arc around boundaries and trust because it's really hard to jump into parent/child conflicts. Starting with a best friend one with the same vibe is a much easier path.

[zoe-oneesama]

ONE MORE EPISODE LEFT TO WRITE! CONGRATULATIONS!! 🎉🎊 Based on everything we’ve seen up to this point in-show, what are your thoughts on Nathalie, her Catalyst akuma and Mayura villain persona, and the Heroes’ Day Season 2 two-parter after your fresh rewatch of the episodes?

I'll be watching both parts at once, but since I'll probably have to rewatch part 2: "Mayura" when I finish my own part 1, I'll mostly focus on Part 1: "Catalyst", with some bleed in from Part 2. I'll be taking a linear critique of the episode in a stream of consciousness way.

To start, "Heroes' Day" is not a real French holiday, yet Marinette's parents say it's come again "just like every year", implying that this has been going on for multiple years? Implying that a Hero Day based off your local superheroes have been happening for YEARS while Marinette and Adrien are in the same class, in the same school year....make it make sense.

Of course, this could be a totally in universe regular holiday that USED to be about just doing good deeds for a day that they adopted to theme around their superheroes, what do I know.

About those good deeds...Marinette deserves slack here. She does good deeds for her friends all the freaking time, but the first part of the two episodes puts a lot of pressure for her to not only do a Good Deed but a Good Enough Good Deed, which to me defeats the purpose of a good deed. You're supposed to do good deeds for the sake of being kind and improving the world, not for...recognition. Or maybe they're being graded...

This feels like a dropped plot line, which is a shame because this was actually a decent lesson for Marinette for once about taking on too much and pressuring herself. Except for Chloe, Marinette is the only person demanding Marinette do a Good Enough Deed, to the point of making a promise she couldn't keep. (Though it's dumb she feels pressured thanks to CHLOE of all people, when all the richest girl in Paris is offering is her own autographs). Yet they only go part way and nearly completely drop this plot line in the second half.

You know, instead of that scene of Adrien meeting Marinette on the steps and assuming he's not invited, they could've used that time for Marinette to admit to Adrien that she panicked and is struggling to keep to her word. Marinette could've actually confided in Adrien, showing their friendship by allowing her to be vulnerable with him about how she was feeling inadequate compared to everyone else and how these feelings spurred her into trouble. This also would've been a great lead in for the end of the two parter:

In Part 2, the picnic/taste testing that Marinette promised but had no time for? It still happens. How? According to Adrien at the end of his speech, the class "jumped at the chance to help". Would've been nice to see any of that, or see any REAL conclusion to Marinette's issue in these episodes, which was putting too much pressure on herself and not telling the truth when it became overwhelming. Even her mom tells her that bravely admitting when you've messed up is heroic, but...Marinette never tells anyone.

On screen anyway.

By having Marinette tell Adrien, Adrien could've rounded up the class to make the picnic happen. And Marinette should've been distraught - this was supposed to be HER good deed yet THEY did all the work! She failed! And then the class disagrees. She does good deeds all the time! Checking in on Ivan after he was an akuma! Breaking Juleka's picture curse! Bringing Marc and Nathaniel together! A single day can't compare to the number of things she's done for everyone here! And now it's their turn to do something for her!

And then she's brought to tears and kisses his cheek in thanks blah blah blah you've seen canon. Instead it's treated as a "oh yeah, we did that thing with Marinette in the first part, uhhh, that's resolved now, okay?" What a waste.

Actually I'm sure this is a completely dropped plot line because Adrien says "Like Rose said earlier" when she didn't say anything.

Where were we? Oh right, Lila's first sighting in a whole season.

Alya here says Marinette is jealous of Lila for trying to hit on Adrien (or in the French, "seduce"~ lol). I'd just like Alya to remember that for later when she actually believes Lila when she says she doesn't have feelings for Adrien, but we all know continuity doesn't live here.

Speaking of, I'm not surprised how many salt fics paint Lila's (first) mom as an idiot. Right after Lila tells her mom that Principal Damocles is also stuck as an akuma thanks to Ladybug's "incompetence", a giant floating balloon of Ladybug floats past her bedroom window.

Woman, how you gonna believe that Paris' heroes are incompetent on the word of your daughter while Paris throws a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in her honor? (I also assume this woman doesn't talk to anyone other than Lila despite apparently being out of the house so often that they don't even share breakfast together. Sure ZAG.) But at least I get to enjoy Gabriel deliberately poking the bear by bringing up Volpina when she was completely and utterly irrelevant. That did in fact make me laugh.

Oh, this is something that I only just put together, but Alya says her good deed was going to the Mayor and getting him to sign off on making the school accessible for disabled students, and we see in this episode on-wards that the school has a ramp. I HAD noticed the ramp in Season 3, but I had completely forgotten that Alya talked about it here at the end of Season 2. So, wow! Good continuity detail, Zag! You get one gold star. ⭐

(though that ramp is hella steep)

I was about to also praise the continuity of Gabriel bringing up financing a Ladybug movie, since that seemed to be setting up "Animaestro"...but then he says it's playing that day (on EVERY tv channel?!). But..."Animaestro" was the movie's premiere...So I guess there's another in universe Ladybug movie ( funded by a fashion director?) that we'll never see. U_U

Damn, I was gonna point out the nepotism of hiring your primary sponsor's son to voice act the male lead, but I guess I can't anymore, bummer 😗

I do make a mental note of the things Lila is calling Ladybug as she's cycling through news coverage. "Liar. Traitor. Coward." Just...interesting. Where did Ladybug lie? Where did Ladybug betray Lila? Where did she run and hide? Interesting, interesting, interesting.

And betrayals only happen when there's trust between you, in order for Ladybug to "betray" Lila she would've had to have Lila's trust or loyalty to begin with.

Even here she didn't accept the akuma as willingly as she did in "Chameleon", but she still greeted Hawkmoth like an old friend, and is DELIGHTED to ruin everyone's Heroes' Day and traumatize them with her illusion for a chance to help Hawkmoth succeed, just to get back at Ladybug. Yikes.

Lmao, not the unfinished png photoshop background on the flute. Great quality check, guys.

I do think this is the first time I actually thought Hawkmoth did something smart. After putting all his eggs in the Audrey/Style Queen basket and then handing the basket to Chloe/Queen Wasp, I wasn't too impressed with him, but this plan was actually good. (I mean it should've PARTIALLY fallen apart once people saw both the Unakumatized Ladybug AND Chat Noir now that we know people can reject their akumas, but sure. We didn't know it at THIS point, so it seems smart.)

But all this energy could've just been channeled into making the ultimate doctor akuma. I mean, you literally made a Miraculous Holder Power Booster with Catalyst, so I'm just saying what we've all been saying~

"I know, it wouldn't be very heroic to use my powers on my personal business" - GIRL at this point YOU'VE EARNED IT, SCREW what Tikki says!

This does make it the second time someone's told Marinette to just come clean to her friends. Why did they drop this plot line after pushing it so hard?!?!?!

"You don't have enough cake for me, do you?" Sir, did you pull a muscle with that leap?! I guess the intention of this scene was that Marinette was ABOUT to come clean to her friends but Adrien's excitement put the pressure for her to pull off the picnic back on. Again, there is no solid conclusion for this part of the story, Marinette just festers on it until there's akuma stuff to deal with. Wait, maybe the mass akuma outbreak is how she really got out of it... "Sorry guys I TOTALLY had this whole thing planned, but, you know. Akumas. Lots of them. Couldn't do it."

How satisfying. 🙃

"Heroes' Day is now...meaningless!" This is like in Christmas movies when people say Christmas is RUINED because a tree caught fire or Santa didn't come. Did the Whos in Whoville teach you nothing, that's the not the true meaning of Christmas and Superheroes are not the true meaning of Heroes Day when you set it up as a reoccurring holiday where people go the extra mile to be kind to one another!

Sorry, this is nit picky, like really nit picky, but don't create a fictional holiday that's about joy and kindness and then "ruin" it by something only tangentially related. I know it's totally just to get the plot going forward, but I'm too old and have seen this too many times (mostly in Christmas media) and it starts to grate on you. Just make the holiday a new one in tribute TO the heroes, then it can be ruined by the heroes turning bad, otherwise you're killing your message about the Everyday Heroes doing Good Deeds to Keep the World a Kind and Happy Place by putting all the weight on the SUPERNATURAL EXTRAORDINARY FIGURES THAT NORMAL HUMANS COULD NEVER COMPARE TO!

*huff huff*

So...Sabrina should know what's up with Lila at least a little, right? Since Ladybug firmly believes Volpina was involved, right? Well, based off some spoilers, MAYBE (strong maybe, this is speculation entirely), Sabrina might finally be using this knowledge. You know, 3 Seasons later. Maybe. They've been doing pretty decent at pulling stuff from earlier seasons, even if it DOES feel too little too late, so it's possible that Sabrina will FINALLY remember this moment with Ladybug.

"You're Rena Rouge and you didn't tell me?!" You didn't tell her you were Carapace either, but I see this is where it freaking starts with you young man. I remember this being a funny moment but hindsight has ruined it, so, thanks for that "Rocketear". 🙃

See, THESE are the Adrien/Chloe moments that I wanted: annoying sibling energy 100%. But alas, this is ALSO ruined. Chloe is calling it her Miraculous, give me MY Miraculous, putting down Chat Noir as Ladybug's "underling". This was never going to work.

Wow, Nora totally nailed it: "If he's talking to Ladybug, then Ladybug and Mr. Whiskers are still on the good side!" I thought she was supposed to be the dumb one?

Anyway, that's part 1 (or at least most of what I have to say about it). As a stand alone, this feels like a huge lead up, which I think gets mostly paid off on the akuma side of things...and definitely not on the Marinette side of things. Wah wah.

I don't have many feelings on Nathalie, Catalyst, or Mayura since they're barely in the first part (or not in it lol) and when she is in it she feels very OOC - smiling a lot, shy glances to the side, all in to go full Team Rocket with Hawkmoth. Up until now she's been so peripheral that seeing her main stage (though again, just barely) is so jarring.

Well, we'll see her "shine" in the next part I guess.

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

Honestly the class's plan to calm someone feeling negative emotions to avoid akumatization is pretty bad

I liked the scene in 'Guiltrip' where the class talks to Juleka and try to comfort her, which drives the akuma away

...and now in s5 (not naming the episode because those titles are not memorable, what was Astruc thinking??) Juleka is having a breakdown over having to redo school next year again and we have the class screaming at her and shoving her a giant picture of cute animals..

"Damnit, Juleka! Stop having a panic attack, or I SWEAR TO GOD, I WILL KILL YOU!"

I don't think the animal picture thing happened in "Confrontation", but I get what you mean with how poorly emotional stress is handled.

[artzychic27]

Okay so in queen wasp, the scene where both Audrey and Chloé bond over being mean and nasty to others which might have led to Chloé being awful in the future (not defending her actions), it only happens because Marinette did kinda manipulated them. I could wrong of course and you might need to fact check me on that one but still, it be funny if the other characters found out about it.

You’re right on the nose there

Alya: Wait… WHAT?!

Myléne: Oh, my God! What the hell, Marinette?!

Nino: Dude! Not cool!

Nathaniel: Guys, guys. Chill out, okay… Seriously, Marinette, what the fuck?! That was your brilliant plan?! Make Chloé meaner than she was earlier by having her spend time with her mythic bitch mother?!

Marinette: I just thought they’d bond and maybe even learn to be nice-

Kim: Fighting fire with fire only gets you more fire! Audrey only made her worse! She literally threatened to deport Zoé!

Marc: And let’s not forget the whole Penalteam thing, you know, where she waited for Shadow Moth to akumatize her!

Marinette: … It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Juleka: Next time you have a good idea, do the opposite.