#which i believe astruc is going to be working on from now on instead of miraculous

[edgybutnotveryedgy]

Just finished power players. Very good actually. Like surprisingly good. I wouldn't put it on the same level as miraculous or zak storm, but its just so campy and fun. I feel like it really captures what it's like to be a kid. Watching it i couldn't help but think of the games i came up with when i played with my own toys. It also has some really wholesome vibes, and there's a found family theme in it which i am definitely biased to.

That being said, i have so many questions that im not sure will ever be answered. Maybe one day zag will make another season? It is more recent then zak storm, so id say there may be hope for it?. Idk.

It really sucks though, because as much as i like miraculous, zag has some other shows that are overshadowed by its popularity. The worst case is Zak Storm, which is by all means a better show in most aspects than Miraculous, but i guess miraculous ended up being more marketable? From what i can tell, the networks that aired both zak storm and power players are not doing those shows any favors.

I believe zak storm aired on discovery kids or something? Which is a channel that i didn't even know existed. Then power players did play on cartoon network, but it looks like it was a show on their website, so it may not have even seen airtime on television. And if it did, it was probably aired early morning where cartoon network airs all the shows it doesn't care about.

As for ghost force, i have to say it is the weakest show from zag. That's not to say it's bad or that i don't like it, but it just has really weak writing at times, and the episode pacing is worse then miraculous. This would be understandable seeing as it is made to fit into the 11 minute segment whereas miraculous fits the 30 minute segment, but power players is also 11 minute episodes, and the pacing is far better. And by all means, even though power players does get repetitive in its episode formula, it feels far more inventive then ghost force.

I feel like the biggest problem that ghost force has though is that it is trying to be like miraculous. Like as different as the shows are, there are way more similarities then zak storm or power players have to miraculous. For goodness sake ghost force even has a food vendor character, and even though there are 2 other main leads the focus goes on the main girl (i do enjoy liv, but I'd like to see more from mike and andy), or should i mention how one of the main leads is rich and has a strained relationship with his single rich father?

I do think that one good thing going for ghost force is that since it is airing on disney channel, i believe it will get more eyes on it, which will give it plenty of room to grow into its own. Like there is a lot of potential there. So many of the story ideas and characters are interesting, and there are some interesting mysteries that I'd like to see solved. At the same time, it just really sucks that zak storm will probably never get the 2nd season it was renewed for.

[anxresi]

Brace yourselves, folks… We’re about to enter the dark, dreary and sometimes disturbing world which is Thomas Astruc on Twitter. 😧

Those possessed of a weak disposition, prone to nausea or an complete intolerance to utter bullshit may want to turn back now. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. (but still leave me a ‘like’, if you’re feeling generous 🙏)

Anyway, what ‘delights’ has this stand-up guy, this pioneer of mediocre cartooning, this dude on the cusp of arguing with little kids on Twitter been sharing with us, the great unwashed, at this present time? Let’s run through a brief checklist of the ‘highlights’, shall we?

*Telling people the upcoming Miraculous movie is what the fans ‘want’ but the show is what we ‘need’ (whatever THAT means, typically modest reaction from the epitome of humbleness himself).

*Saying that anyone who DARES criticise the show should ‘keep it to themselves’ or they’ll be ‘blocked for spreading negativity about the artists’ (dude thinks he can police Twitter… good luck with that!)

*Informing fanfiction writers that their work is ‘pointless’ and the only people who know what they’re doing are him and his team (If you mean ‘How To Destroy A Franchise In Five Easy Seasons… I guess he’s right)

But his favorite topic (seriously, check out his replies… we’re talking more than 50% here) concerns a fictional teenage girl he constantly decries but can’t seem to get enough of moaning about. It is of course… oh let’s face it. You know the answer to that one already. ROLL THE TWEETS!!

Yep, you guessed it. Apart from the OP being uncommonly accurate in their opinion, now apparently ‘Chloe’ has become The Not-So-Great Bearded One’s new insult of choice for anyone who dislikes what’s been done to the show. Poor ‘Karen’ never stood a chance… 😢

What a mature, grown-up type chap he is! I have no idea why he’s no longer referred to as ‘Hawk Daddy’ in polite circles, and instead called ‘Man Baby’. Just look at him, REALLY giving it a bunch of teens on Twitter who DARE imply his show is nothing but da best! You go, Thomas! Go change your dirty diaper, that is. 🤢

So, abandoning all her subtleties and nuance , reducing her to a shrieking monster and choosing to actively give characters who have arguably done FAR WORSE throughout the series much better endings means they ‘wrote it well’? Gosh, maybe getting an F in English stands for ‘Fabulous’ after all!

Guess in Thomas’s somewhat warped worldview, everyone who doesn’t like 💯 of his show from top to bottom should be placed on a plane with their main abuser to be forcibly deported and probably tortured for the rest of their sorry lives. That’ll teach them!

And who cares about stupid stuff like ‘build-up’ or ‘character-development’ if they genuinely were preparing Chloe for… what was that thing he described it as again… a ‘damnation’ arc? Let’s just flip a switch at the end of S3 to turn her into a pathetic caricature of her worst excesses without explanation, then introduce a ‘perfect’ sister out of nowhere to throw all those undesirable traits into sharp relief! And that’s not even getting into that detestable retconning flashback episode… What an absolutely fantastic idea to make everyone hate her as much as Thomas does!

No-one will notice the sudden incongruity here… after all, the average age of their audience is 5-8 so if they just throw excrement like crazed baboons about Chloe at the young audience time and time again caveman-style CHLOE: BAD. EVERYONE ELSE: GOOD the kids will chow it up like cheap chocolate ice cream! The older ones that do kick up a fuss? Who gives a ****. They don’t buy the merchandise, and where would all those hard-working producers if it wasn’t for all that cheap plastic crap?

With considerably less cars, swimming pools and exotic holidays to hard-to-pronounce destinations, that’s where! Let’s keep that bandwagon of shit a-rollin’… 🤑

Ah, now I believe this is that classic tactic otherwise known as ‘gaslighting’. When you say something as a fact over and over again, when the opposite is clearly true. Those of lesser willpower may start to accept it as reality while others (mostly those with functioning eyes, ears and brains)… won’t.

You know who was also good at that gaslighting thing, don’t you? A few clues… A Former (thank God) President? Very orange? Initials DT? Yep, that guy.

…And coincidentally, someone Thomas has been known to compare Chloe (14 year old girl, let’s not forget) to regularly. I mean, with THAT kind of accolade hanging over her head from the guy who created her, how could she ever fail?

See? What a great influence he is on the young too! Now he’s got his own handpicked gang of sycophants out of the street labelling anyone with the slightest complaint from a)pointing out the animation was slightly better last season or b)saying they miss the old transformation sequences as a ‘Chloe’. I think we’ve found his new favorite insult, and it’s the worst word he can possibly think of. Figures.

I bet he’s putting together a petition as we speak, for an official entry into the dictionary. Fortunately, there’s already one for ‘Thomas’, as in ‘Doubting Thomas’… someone who talks so much nonsense you should disbelieve anything they say. Or Thomas The Tank Engine, because whenever you mention a certain Blonde’s name in his presence, he tends to blow steam, look very heated and… you get the picture. 😆

On top of everything else, now he’s issuing threats. I have to hand it to him though… that’s a pretty good one. NO PLEASE TAKE MY MONEY MY LIFE I’LL EVEN GIVE YOU A FOOT RUB A BACK RUB AND LEARN TO LOVE ZOE ANYTHING BUT THAT NNNNNNOOOOOO….

Seriously guys, we need an immediate intervention. THIS CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN. I’m about to book an emergency flight to France, to barricade him in his office until he promises to never again even entertain the notion of… this. Who’s with me?

(And incidentally while I’m there, does anyone want me to pick them a souvenir? A beret? Frog legs soup? One of those miniature replicas of the Eiffel Tower? Let me know by tomorrow at the latest, and I’ll see what I can do) 😊🇫🇷

[688199]

Ladybug PV led to the creation of Null Era + other things: A theory re-evaluating the pre-production of Miraculous Ladybug

ah yes, the famous pv, with an alternative marinette that’s confident and an aloof cat boy called felix. yet, even though they seem to be based on null era, why are they still so different from their null era counterparts?

there were a lot of holes in timeline regarding the production, things that made no sense if it was sequenced that way. but when i started to see it this way, i think it solves some questions i had.

(i apologise for the messiness of all the ideas as i am just rambling)

so here’s my theory, as well as the reasons why i think so:

ladybug pv laid out the groundwork for null era. like such:

(first image represents the era in which marinette was confident, and nathan existed. for lack of a better term, i’ll refer it to the 2010 era.)

seems like toei was only given “2010” material to work with, and thus came up with the pv. this explains why alina, adoni, the bodyguards, null doesn’t show up. oh and why bridgette bug uses martial arts instead of weapons.

if anything, the pv isn’t based on null era, it’s based on the 2010.

looks to me like the pv expanded on the 2010 ideas by astruc

and the development team liked it so they expanded on the ideas even further into null era which explains actions shown in the pv, such as richard destroying the world because he’s power hungry.

bridgette’s design seems to be heavily based on this artwork specifically. long hair, same shorts and same shoes. except her top outfit, which seems to be from this right image, created even earlier.

her personality as well is obviously not shy. she’s much like the 2010 marinette rather than the null era.

now let’s talk about felix.

felix sphinx, on the other hand, has right swept bangs like in the pv, different from many other “felix-like” artworks that showcase nathan/ felix with left swept bangs.

if felix sphinx was based on the pv, the difference in their personalities makes much more sense. why pv is portrayed as being annoyed with bridgette, however not in the same degree as astruc’s nathan version. most likely while creating null era, the team further toned down on the annoyed aspect and heightened his nerd side to create who we know as felix sphinx.

not to mention, the pv is also the only media that depicts felix with being studious (books), other than the july 2012 bible.

now take a look at these, which i believe are all based on the image on their left.

2010->PV->Null Era

i used to think the right image inspired the middle image, but now arranging it this way makes more sense to me.

in terms of how everything actually went down:

i think that there were on going discussions on how astruc’s original “2010” concept could be altered during 2010-2012. many ideas were being brought up then scraped such as (the later part of) mini menace, quantic kids, etc, leading to an influx of art and ideas tossed around during this time, especially during 2012.

before toei officially became the co-producer, i think toei brought up the possibility that it could be 2d animation, then created the pv using the original astruc concept, of course with their own ideas tossed in (like how another producer wanted quantic kids). the proposal for 2d was rejected in the end, but i think they wanted to explore toei’s ideas, thus leading to the creation of null era.

rather than see it as a linear progression with a lot of mixing in between “eras” which is how i saw it in the past, the development should be seen as a centre (2010) being branched out into multiple ideas all scattered around the place. each era/ version is just the team mixing and matching elements that they like, and going forward with whatever fits best + goes through the approval of sponsors and producers. this leads to why chat noir was officially confirmed to be called felix during september 2012 while he’s called adrien in the first bible, why quantic kids appeared in the super lady luck game, why the pv and the bible, which differed greatly in ideas, existed during the same time (it’s also possible pv was made much much earlier than the date it was put onto youtube).

okay i should shut up now. this is what i think basically.

lol.

[generalluxun]

I think the reason why Chloe is so controversial in the fandom is that both sides can be toxic. Some Chloe stans are toxic and jerks, but some of the toxic Chloe haters are no better. They act like toxic Chloe stans by shaming, harassing and bullying people who do like her. They also cannot respect opinions as well. These are just my thoughts.

There are several reasons I think.

Clearly there are people who project themselves onto Marinette and then project their own personal bully experiences onto Chloé. Without actual therapy or time+healing on their own, these people will never accept any reasoned argument about Chloé as a character, because to them she isn't a character, she is their personal bully. The transference supplants the actual narrative.

There are definitely toxic behaviors among some of the people who claim to like Chloé too. I do think there's value in breaking down the who and why though.

There are the pot stirrers: These people actually don't care about Chloé per-se they just see a hot take and jump on it, hoping to cause as much trouble as they can. These folks aren't really 'Chloé stans' heck, they probably aren't even ML fans. They're instigators. It's important to recognize one when you see them and simply pitch their noise into the bin 'Chloé did nothing wrong!' is such a silly and clearly wrong take that it can only be from one of these folks.

There are those who are frustrated: I lay the blame for this segment squarely at Thomas Astruc's feet. He makes bold, dismissive, and authoritative statements, escalating all the way to open gaslighting when confronted, or even just lightly questioned in regards to Chloé's character.

'Chloé is not abused' -SIR, please consult someone with even the rudiments of child development education and review what has actually been put on screen. I know whether I am going to believe you, or my lying eyes. Thank you.

His antics and the narrative in general ignoring what has already been put on screen frustrates a LOT of people, and deeply so. Child abuse isn't a light topic, people have *feelings* about it. TA is unreachable and unengagable though, and so a chunk of people turn their frustrations elsewhere. They lash out at other characters, and by proxy their stans, and you get this whole negative feedback loop in the fandom while I presume TA just sits back with a drink in hand, throwing darts at pictures of blond girls, and laughing.

There are those who can't express themselves well: Remember this is a kids show so a large chunk of the fandom is well, unsurprisingly, kids! Kids without the raw learning to necessarily articulate their arguments with nuance. This is how you get a dozen tweets to Ta asking 'When is Chloé going to get some development?' to which he can derisively reply 'She has, you just don't like it!' and durr hurr hurr isn't he so clever.

If the fan had instead put forth clear concise examples of the abuse on screen, how it ties into actual child development practices, how they want this *child* to be shown growing and overcoming these huge hurdles because you know, they're decent human beings, and their confusion as to why a show about superheroes/Magical girls hasn't done that.... well, it would be harder to dismiss.

Take that exchange, and now instead shift it to folks among the fandom themselves. Short, sweeping statements that don't really express what they are feeling effectively. This happens between Adrien/Mari stans when they fight too. Not every 13yr old should be expected to know college level Psyche, but it can lead to miscommunication and then acrimony when they engage without it.

I want to point out this also works for things not involving Chloé at all.

Marinette stans trying to explain why they feel Marinette is so put upon while others argue that she gets everything and *Adrien* is the put upon one, all getting into protracted battles while shouting half-formed ideas and confused impressions from an inconsistent and poorly framed narrative at each other.

Is Marinette a Mary Sue who is handed things in a silver platter? *YES*

Is she ALSO an emotional damage magnet, abused by the narrative relentlessly and blamed for things not her fault? *YES*

These two ideas can both exist at the same time, but a lot of people have a hard time juggling that, so we get arguments and toxicity because this is the internet and too much is never enough of anything.

[learningtolearntolearn]

How to learn French with Miraculous Ladybug

Are you so obsessed with Miraculous that you wish you could watch it in the original (and acc to Astruc, also canon) language? It's actually not as hard as you might think! Even if you've studied French at school for years and still can't understand what's going on without English subs, then this is for you.

I've been heavily inspired by the Refold and Cure Dolly method, this is my spin on it. You can use this method for any language and piece of media, tbh.

First of all you'll need Anki, which is a digital flashcard program, which will let you review vocabulary at regular intervals, to remember them long term. Here is the official manual, and here's a guide that's more catered to language learning.

Step 1: The Basics

You need to have a solid base of French before you can jump into watching native material. If you've studied French to a highschool-ish level, you can probably skip this step.

Here is my guide on how to learn the basics of French enough to immerse properly.

Step 2: Watching the Show

Before you start, I'd recommend watching the show first in French with English subtitles, or just raw French if you're brave enough. I believe it's on Disney+ (If you want another place to watch it from, DM me). You'll need to know the plot of the episode well enough before you start sentence mining.

To get the French text, here is the page of transcriptions. Unfortunately, there's only a limited number avaliable, so you'll only be able to sentence mine from those episodes. From what I've heard, the Disney+ subtitles are pretty inaccurate. The other option might be to use a VPN and set location to France and see if this gives you subtitles that are "French (CC)".

So what is sentence mining?

Above, I've left a link with a brief explanation, but in short, you find a sentence with one unknown word, put the sentence on the front of your Anki card, then put the unknown word on the back. The advantage to making sentence cards instead of just vocab cards is that now you will be reading French sentences everyday, and seeing the words in context, rather than isolated.

I like to dedicate a time to sit down with the transcript and go through the whole episode. Every time I find a word that I don't understand, I look it up in the dictionary. I use WordReference. When you get a little more advanced, I'd switch to definitions from the French dictionary. Then I make a sentence card. Where I can, I add a photo and audio onto the back of the card. If the word seems to be something pretty obscure and you think you don't need it, you don't have to make a card. However, if you see the word more than once, it's probably common enough that you'll need to remember it. Here's an example of one of my sentence cards.

If there's an unknown phrase or idiom, put the whole phrase on the back of the card. Here's an example:

If you just can't find something at all after searching, it could mean there was a typo in the transcript. You can either leave it, or go back to the episode and try to work out what they said. The other option is that it is a word play or pun. You might just have to leave it until you're better at French. Alternatively, you can DM me and I'll do my best to help!

Once I have my sentence cards, I study 10-15 new cards per day, plus all of my reviews. If I fully understand the sentence and the unknown word, I select "Good", and Pass on the cards I don't understand.

But this isn't enough to fully learn French, just to learn new vocab, so there's one more final step.

Step 3: Improving your Listening Comprehension

Each episode you sentence mine will give you a large quantity of vocabulary to learn, especially in the beginning. Whilst I'm learning new vocab, I listen to audio of the show whilst I'm doing tasks that don't require much thinking. These include:

Doing the dishes

Going for a walk

Cleaning and tidying my living space

Cooking

Whilst I play Stardew Valley

Commuting

I make a playlist of all the episodes I have studied and put in on shuffle whilst I do the things listed above. This way, I am listening to French for at least one hour per day, whilst simultaneously revising vocabulary, and getting used to spoken French.

Getting audio of the show is tricky. Currently, I have to download the episode, extract the audio in VLC, and then I cut out unnecessary parts of the audio (theme and end song, transformations, using powers, fight sequences with no speaking) in Audacity. I'm working on a way to share this condensed audio atm!

Now go and learn French!

If you follow this method, you'll be amazed at how quickly you pick up French grammar and vocabulary naturally, with minimal study, and soon you'll be able to watch and episode of Miraculous without subs and understand the majority of it. Bonne chance !

[felixfathom]

I don't get where people get the idea Felix is evil. He doesn't actively HATE the heroes, not like he clearly hates Gabriel and Nathalie. He just uses them as means to an end- he had already agreed to help Ladybug before he knew what the dog miraculous' power was. He holds a grudge against Adrien initially and I'd probably be upset too if my only friend made no attempt to reach out after my dad died and went off with all of his new friends instead. But Felix puts personal feelings aside once he realizes the peacock is active again. He wants Adrien to be free, too.

Also both Chat Blanc and Ephemeral establish that Gabe can control Adrien as Chat Noir and forcibly akumatize him. Which we all agreed was going to be an obstacle in defeating him. But Felix is a bad guy for working to remove that obstacle. Perhaps unknowingly but still.

the thing is that miraculous ladybug (as well as majority of its easily impressionable fans) is plagued by a black/white mentality . there is no room for depth - chloe fiasco, exhibit A.

the show does this thing where they seem to hint at something deeper only to take it back within seconds by making him look funny @ the camera . it's so frustrating - on one hand you have ambassadors such as feri and anita that AGREE with us on the notion that felix's more than meets the eye! but we cannot say the same of astruc or really any other person in the crew; anyday now they could wake up and fuck him up to "subvert expectations" or to "teach a lesson" that a 14 y/o boy that was fighting for his life needs to be live executed.

for the record - i made this up on the fly and i'm not saying the crew will do it but they've shown time and time again that if they want to, they'll retcon whatever they please . felix is in such a vague area that he could end up as the most complex character to come out of the show or irredeemable devil child no.3 in a matter of a single episode! and if that is the case it'll suck because you listed almost every reason why he shouldn't be the latter .

from what i've seen, people cherrypick what they consider canon based on their favorite characters - meaning if felix was an ass in a dialogue with adrien, you can disregard any moment that is even slightly hinting at felix being more than just an ass! but once again, for every sympathetic felix moment there is two scenes in between where he's smirking deviously and commits a crime . it shouldn't be so hard to defend him bc he HAS to have a motive, and believes that the end justifies the means, but no one will believe us until it is explicitly shown onscreen bc not only ml fans r easily impressionable, but also in the stage of perpetual denial (see: senti!adrien).

[winter-literature]

Le Chat et Le Serpent

Chapter 1 - As My Heart Beats

Notes:

Hello! This is the first story that I have decided to share. It is after the finale of Ladybug and Chat Noir Season 4 Finale. ***TRIGGER WARNING*** Mention of child abuse, general graphic violence, alcohol use, mental health, basically, I have decided to put the characters through the meat grinder***

Disclaimer*The characters and original plot were written and created by Thomas Astruc. This writing is merely an interpretation in a sad gay type of way.

The Note

March 3, 2024

Dear Adrien, 

When you were four years old, you fell off your bike. The defiant boy that you were, you had refused to buckle your helmet. Your mother was adamant that that was the day my hair turned grey. The whole night, I held your hand, desperately hoping your heart would keep beating. Never had I felt so helpless, or so guilt ridden. That was, until the light faded from your mother’s eyes. When you finally began to get back on your two feet, with each step I feared the image of your fall. Every time you were away from me, I knew that you might take off your helmet, or forget to look both ways before crossing the street. Nothing between us was ever the same after that accident. Your mother always fought to bring me back, to remind me that our lives were worth living. But I just wanted to keep us safe. When your mother died, any sense of control I believed I had was whisked away. 

For years, I tried to protect the young boy who refused to wear a helmet, never noting the time passing. The young boy was growing into a man, who was forced to live with a shadow of his father. With a villain. 

Through the eyes of an orderly, I visited you. The only indication that you were alive was your rhythmic heartbeat. The bicycle image no longer taunted me. Instead, I saw the terror on your face as blood stuttered out of your mouth, your eyes boring into mine. When you were younger, I felt at fault for not double checking your helmet. Last night, there was no question of fault. Each rasping breath was caused by my own hand. 

I hope that this letter will help you understand, but I could never ask for forgiveness. There are no possible steps forward. Your letter was my last to write. My will has been finalised, and considering your eighteenth birthday is mere days away, I foresee no legal issues in the transferring of assets. If all has gone according to plan, Nathalie will hand you this letter. I understand if you want to dispel her from your life, but know that she saved your life. She may have stood by me, but she always fought for you. If she did not work with me, she knew that she would have risked her place within this household - which would have left you alone with me. Nathalie is the reason your heart was able to beat, and she will take your secret to the grave. 

Now, I offer you the freedom you so deserve. Whatever you choose to do with it, know that I am proud of you. You stood for what was right, and fought someone who should have never been your foe.

I love you Adrien. 

Your father, 

Gabriel Agreste

* From the Office of Gabriel Agreste Industries*

The Recovery

“Good morning handsome,” Nurse Jacquie greeted Adrien with a glowing smile. 

“Isn’t it frowned upon to flirt with your patients?” Adrien teased.

“Hey! If Olivier heard you say that he might wage war!” 

“Oh I see, now it’s a battle for your love. I can do that.” Adrien smirked as he tilted his head to the side.

“Don’t be so confident, he may be 90, but that man can throw a punch!” She chortled while noting his vitals. 

“Now, I know that I may be -dashing- but how are my insides looking?” He tried to dispel his discomfort through theatrical hand motions. 

“Pretty good for someone who died,” her flat tone barely carried over her clipboard. 

Picking at the adhesive on his IV he asked, “How much longer do you think I’m going to be in here?” 

“Hard to tell Mr. Agreste, but we will keep doing our best.” 

“I guess that’s better than nothing…” 

“Also, Mr. Sadface, I heard you have some friends coming today!” 

His face lit up as he remembered that Nino, Aly, Chloe, and Marinette would be coming. They had promised a belated birthday celebration. Though Adrien would rather celebrate his birthday with pants on, it would help to break the monotony of the white walls. As if beckoned by his thoughts, a soft knock tapped at his open door. 

“Looking sharp Agreste!” Nino nearly shouted as he sped to Adrien's bed side. His shoes skidded to a halt as he tried to stop himself from colliding with Adrien’s wires with his outstretched arms. Awkwardly trying to fidget around the tubes, clearly confused on what he should do, Adrien offered a fist for him to bump. Nino breathed a sigh of relief as he accepted the friendly gesture. Once they had adequately faked the explosion on their fist bump, Alya hipchecked Nino so that she could greet the birthday boy. 

“Holy shit Adrien,” she gasped, “How do you still look so good after basically getting hit by a freight train?” As Nino feigned a jealous pout, Alya tried to push out her memories of her last hospital visit. Under the pretence of the Ladyblog, she had checked on the civilians that had been injured in the battle. The hospital was so overcrowded that staff had come in on their days off to provide care in the waiting rooms. The air was thick with the scent of iron and the sound of children’s cries. There was only so much Ladybug’s Lucky Charm could fix. Leaving a bittersweet taste, the only injury that had nearly been fatal was Adrien’s. On her Ladyblog, she kept the comment on Adrien’s injury short, “the only civilian currently requiring intensive care is fashion model, Adrien Agreste.” Thankfully, Nino had not pried, assuming that she had gained her information from the hospital staff. In reality, she couldn’t shake the memory of Adrien’s limp body. His marred face contorted around the breathing tube that had been forced down his throat. Considering the tension Nino was already enduring, and the guilt Marinette held in her heart, Alya chose to keep her burden to herself. No one could understand the degree of her relief in his current state. He truly resembled an Angel. Trying to hide her wavering strength, Adrien cut through the ice with his iconic humour. 

“Do I really look so bad that everyone needs to boost my ego? Should I be afraid of mirrors?” Adrien half-heartedly joked. 

“No!” Marionette piped in as she walked through the door. “You - oh my- seri-ah- how? Beautiful.” She instinctively slapped her forehead. 

“See?” Nino gestured to Marinette, “you’ve left Marinette speechless!” 

Alya refrained from a sarcastic comment, not wanting anything to seem as an attack on Adrien’s state. 

“It’s good to see you Mare,” his sparkling green eyes resting upon the girl reddening at the foot of his bed. She instinctively pushed out the double chocolate cheesecake that Sabine had specially made for Adrien. Hovering the cake, she kept her eyes closed, blind to the fact that he would not be able to reach it without disconnecting himself. 

“Here,” a calming voice rumbled from behind Marinette. He grabbed the cake from her hands and set it on the bedside table. It was Adrien's turn to become speechless. He hadn’t expected Luka on this visit. Normally, he could coolly hide his reaction, but his heart monitor began to give him away. 

The screeching monitor seemed to prove Luka’s suspicions that Adrien would not want him here. Hiding his discomfort, he chose a corner to rest in. He would never want to make him uncomfortable, but he had to take the opportunity while he had it. 

Uncomfortable with silence, Alya began to loudly recap what had occurred since his hospitalisation. She could be using the speakers from the concert on Luka’s family’s ship, the Liberty, and Adrien still wouldn’t have been able to hear her. He was too distracted by Luka’s fingers tapping against his black ripped jeans. The viper was normally so calm, this rare demonstration of a nervous tick pulled Adrien into a trance. Was he forced to be here? Maybe he and Marinette were back together and he was here only out of duty. Did he actually want to see Adrien? The last thing he wanted was to be the one who made Luka shrink in his chair. 

“Can you even believe that?” Alya awaited a response from Adrien. 

“Hmm?” Adrien's eyes snapped to her, finally breaking from his trance. Luka couldn’t help but notice that Adrien's heartbeat started to even out the moment he looked away from him. 

“Boy! You are so like Marinette! Chloe and Sabrina! Sabrina got fed up and finally walked out. Now Chloe is so behind on everything that she couldn’t come.” Alya quickly recapped the story he had missed. 

“Serves her right.” Marinette grumbled. 

Adrien sighed at the negative connotations. He was blatantly aware of the vicious acts that Chloe had committed against his friends, but he was also forced to be aware of what they did not know. Losing Sabrina must have shattered Chloe. Sabrina was one of the only people, besides him, that Chloe let see under her mask. Chloe had likely used the excuse of assignments to avoid Adrien’s gaze; he had a way of breaking through her shell. 

Performing his protective best-friend duty, Nino swiftly changed the subject. “Dude, wait till you see what I got you!”

For the first time since a flat tone had resonated through the rushed hospital, he felt alive. When he had first opened his eyes, the bleached walls convinced him he had passed. Surprising as it may be, a floating god of destruction spouting sarcastic comments regarding Adrien’s code blue was not a convincing sign that he had survived the battle. Adrien honestly believed he was in hell, trapped in isolation and controlled by machines. It didn’t help that as much as the Kwami cared for him, affirming adoration was not in his repertoire. Unless, of course, there was cheese involved; the Kwami would be sure to share his love when he learned that Adrien had hidden him a piece of cheesecake. 

Gushing his appreciation, Adrien snuggled in his new blankets while waving his knit slippers. “Thank you so much guys, you didn’t have to do all of this.”

“Dude, there’s no way I would pass up an opportunity to miss your idiotic smile in little slippers,” Nino lovingly quipped. 

Luka raised his eyebrow at Adrien. Beyond wanting to witness Adrien’s childlike smile, he knew the Prettyboy honestly believed that he didn’t deserve this. Luka was barely granted a second to appreciate the knit slippers before Adrien’s green eyes bounded towards him. Taking a calming breath, Luka stood to his feet. He tried to ignore the quickening beats echoing through the room as he pulled the small gift out of his hoodie pocket.  

After seeing the thoughtfulness of the other’s gifts, Luka debated even giving him the gift. They came together to warm the room, whereas Luka’s gift held a selfish tinge. He knew as he had taken the book off the shelf that he had picked it in hopes that he and Adrien could have something to talk about, anything to break the ice that lay so thick between them. 

Not only had Luka’s presence been a shock, but Luka being there with a gift was nearly enough to give Adrien a heart attack. Breathlessly, he watched as the tall blue haired man stepped towards him. The package was small, heavy, and badly wrapped in old newspaper. Luka knew when he wrapped it that there was a chance it could appear cheap and poorly thought through but, unbeknownst to him, Adrien immediately noted that the wrapping design was from Luka carefully ensuring not to tape over the puzzles. 

Returning to tapping his jeans, he watched as Adrien continued to inspect the wrapping job. His rhythmic tapping helped to keep him from collapsing in shame on the floor. Adrien’s fingers gently picked at the tape, finally indicating to Luka that he appreciated the additional entertainment. Carefully placing the newspaper separate from the wrapping paper, Adrien ran his hand along the book's cover. 

Before Adrien could have the opportunity to reveal the transcription on the first page, Luka forced himself to speak. “It’s one of my favourites. I figured you could use some entertainment in here.” 

Even though Luka was controlling the urge to bolt from the room, his voice still sang in calm notes. 

“Yeah, thanks! It uh - the isolation here kind of reminds me of home.” Though his words were meant to lighten the mood, they released the cold reality which they were all aware of. Sensing the shift of mood, he went to flip the cover, sending a surge of panic through Luka. His tanned fingers were quick to pull the book out of Adrien’s wired hands. To decrease suspicion, Luka grabbed the other gifts and activities that were strewn around Adrien. He gently set them on the bedside table, and used the clearing of wrapping paper and dirty plates to step away from the bed. 

Tuning into Adrien’s melody, with his heart monitor as the metronome, a shiver of awareness hissed down Luka’s spine. The increased pace may not be related to hate afterall. 

-

Once everyone had left, Adrien eagerly grabbed for the book that Luka had gifted him. The Wars by Timothy Findley. He had never heard of it, but was enthralled at the chance to learn more about the mysterious Luka. As he read the inscription, he understood why Luka had seized the book. Short on breath, he ran his fingers along Luka’s penmanship. 

Thudding footsteps echoed towards his room. “What’s going on?” Nurse Jackie panted, her face stricken with worry. 

Flipping his hair up to meet her paled face, he became aware that the heart monitor was sending off an alert. 

“Uh - nothing - just… surprised.” Adrien tried to calm her with a forced grin. Considering the crinkling of Jacquie’s face, he imagined that his smile reflected that of Kagami's robot smile. 

Listening to her steps fade away, he once again pulled his attention to his books cover page. 

Dearest Adrien,

This book helped me see the world a little bit differently. Heroes and villains cannot always be so easily defined. 

I know you are facing a war in yourself, fighting battles that it seems no one understands. If you need someone to speak to about this life, or your other, know that you can reach out to me. Even the strongest cats need a lap to lay on. 

Luka

“He knows,” Adrien muttered. 

[geekgirles]

Mirrors

Disclaimer: This was originally going to be much longer (and it is very long already) but since I might have overdone it, I will be cutting it in two. The second part will feature the similarities and differences between Marinette and Kagami and some final thoughts. 

Part 2

Kagami’s name means ‘mirror’ in Japanese, and according to Thomas Astruc, that’s not a coincidence. Indeed, she’s supposed to be a reflection of the main characters. This trait is best seen through her role as an alternative love interest for Adrien, but she is also a reflection of Marinette’s own character; more specifically, her own relationship with Adrien.

However, the way Kagami works as a mirror changes from one character to the other. For Adrien, she’s a direct parallel to many of the traits that make him who he is, only that she adds more nuance to them. For Marinette, despite their many similarities, they are also opposites. 

In this analysis I will reflect (pun not-intended) on the way Kagami works as Adrien’s mirror, how she does the same for Marinette, and the way that affects her relationship with both of them. 

Adrien and Kagami:

As Adrien’s alternative love interest over Ladybug, it is to be expected that Kagami would have enough things in common with him for Adrien to be able to relate to her and see her as something other than a friend. 

And this is one of the reasons why Adrien has considered Kagami as his girlfriend and not Marinette; her proximity to his own situation.

Kagami’s introductory episode, Riposte, already focused a lot of its attention in highlighting how similar the two are. Aside from sharing a common interest in fencing (which allows them later on to spend time together outside of school or business-related occasions), Riposte already showed enough of Kagami’s background to make us understand why Adrien would bond with her. Their respective parents are both strict, expect nothing but the best from their kids’ performance in everything they do and, most importantly, they’re both very absent in their lives while simultaneously being present in every aspect of them. 

We all know how Gabriel controls every single aspect of Adrien’s life while never spending time with his son at the same time, but Tomoe is just as controlling and overprotective. In Ikari Gozen she considered her daughter having friends should be at the bottom of her priority list, even hinting some trust issues with the sole idea. 

And, despite that, in Riposte Kagami was all alone in the car, calling her mother to let her know that she had failed, but not showing any signs of expecting any sort of comfort from her. After all, she said it herself: 

“There's no such thing as a second chance in my family.”

Another parallel between Adrien and Kagami is precisely the fact that Tomoe relies on someone else to look after her daughter, just like Gabriel tends to shove his responsibilities with Adrien onto Nathalie and Gorizilla. Except that in Tomoe’s case it’s even worse; she entrusts her daughter to Tatsu, an artificial intelligence, not a human being. 

Of course, the similarities between them don’t end there. Adrien and Kagami are pretty much birds of a feather in the sense that both of them are very inexperienced with socialising. They’re both lonely, rich kids with a difficult home life who just want to be able to do things most kids their age do. 

That’s why Adrien connected so well with Kagami; they’re on the same boat. 

As I said earlier, Kagami acts as a mirror to Adrien, not only because of the similarities that have already been discussed, but also because her personality is very much like Adrien’s, except she either takes things to the extreme, or isn’t as similar to Adrien as she should. 

Facing their parents:

Believe it or not, when it comes to calling out their parents for their behaviour, Adrien is more willing to face his father than Kagami her mother. 

Ever since his mother disappeared, Adrien’s been trying to be there for his father. Pretty much everything he does that isn’t related to his friends or his life as Chat Noir he does it for Gabriel. He studies Chinese, goes to photoshoots, fences, plays the piano, and any other extracurricular activity I might have forgotten about because he thinks that’s what will make his father happy. Deep down, Adrien knows it’s unfair that he’s forced to live like that, he just sucks it up because he knows his father’s hurting and wants to alleviate that burden. 

But whenever Gabriel’s behaviour becomes too unreasonable for even Adrien to excuse, he’s always ready to rebel against him in some way. In Origins he tried and succeeded in going to school instead of staying at home like his father wished. In Santa Claws he ran away from home because of Gabriel’s cold and distant attitude despite being the first Christmas without Emilie for the both of them. In Simon Says, as Chat Noir, he called his father out on his stubbornness and refusal to get help despite being an akuma’s main target. And in Feast he showed his disappointment and disapproval of the way Gabriel brushed Nathalie’s condition off. 

And he did all that on his own, either for himself or for the sake of others. 

Kagami, on the other hand, still relies on others to face her mother. In Ikari Gozen, despite going against her mother’s wishes, it wasn’t until Marinette had the guts to try and stand up to Tomoe that Kagami managed to put her foot down in her request to spend some time with her new friend. And unlike Adrien as Chat Noir in Simon Says where, despite having some help from the confidence his secret identity gives him, he confronted his father on his behaviour, Ryuuko confronted Ikari Gozen, not Tomoe. In other words, she stood her ground against an exaggeration of her mother’s flaws, not against her mother’s true self. 

Moving on:

While the show has shown Adrien having difficulties letting go of Ladybug, the main difference between him and Kagami is that he has at least considered it. Since Frozer, Kagami has shown she will fight for Adrien until the very end. 

In fact, of the four teens romantically involved with each other, Kagami is the only one who hasn’t expressed any sort of conformity with the idea of her love interest not choosing her in the end. Even Marinette and Adrien, despite hurting immensely, had considered letting go of their respective crushes and pursuing somebody else when it looked like they were getting nowhere. 

In Frozer, despite acting nonchalant about it, Kagami was very clear to Adrien: “The day you realize you've got the wrong target, I'll be here.”

With that she makes it very obvious that she’s willing to wait for Adrien, no matter how long it takes him to realise his feelings for her. That’s Kagami’s approach: she prefers to wait before accepting defeat. 

In a way, this makes her a foil to Luka as well. 

Ever since Frozer, Luka has shown he will support Marinette if she chooses to go after Adrien instead of him in the end, whereas Kagami, while never outright declaring she won’t be there for Adrien if he weren’t to choose her, she never really hinted she would move on from him if he did, either. 

The best example of this would, in a way, be what she said as Oni-Chan: “He's the only one who's worthy of me! And the only one I will ever love!”

If I’m being perfectly honest, this sentence doesn’t do Kagami’s character and her feelings for Adrien justice. The way it was written, it just makes her look unreasonable and like a yandere. And you might say it’s because she was akumatised. And you would be right, if it weren’t because Luka’s confession to Marinette also doubled as a declaration of protection and wasn’t painted in nowhere near the same negative light. 

But back to the point.

Summing up, the kind of trouble Adrien has moving on he inherited from his father (in a, thankfully, less worrisome way), Kagami has too, but hers seems to be more severe. And there’s a high chance this will play an important role in Lies, or at least in season 4...

Making friends:

Now, as stated above, this is one of the points they have the most in common but also have the most differences in; their issues with socialising.

What makes the two of them so similar is that they’re both kids who’ve been sheltered their whole life, kids who long to have some friends of their own, and who, as a result, struggle greatly with reading social cues. 

However, their respective personalities are what really makes the difference. 

Adrien is kind, honest, and approachable, both on a superficial and deep level. Kagami, on the other hand, is all those things, but once you get to know her; at first glance she might seem cold, honest to the point of brutality, and difficult to connect with. 

Unlike Lila, who got the class’ attention for her supposed life and high status, these two really are the children of influential people, and yet that’s not why the class appreciates Adrien, or even pretends to get along with Kagami for what it could give them. They’re not that shallow. 

The class likes Adrien because he’s a cinnamon roll. And, judging by the girls’ reactions to Kagami in both Frozer and Desperada, they aren’t close to her because they only know her on a superficial, non-flattering level. 

They’ve both been sheltered and yet, Adrien manages to connect with others better. While Kagami had to rely on an app to try and get along with Marinette, with rather awkward results. And, let’s not forget, it wasn’t until Marinette got to see Kagami was just like Adrien at the beginning that she realised that she’d misjudged her and actively tried to be her friend. 

And now the three of them are close friends! (Leaving shipping drama aside…)

The main difference between the two is that, at first sight, Adrien is more approachable than Kagami.

Recklessness:

As the series progressed, we’ve seen little by little how these two tend to be reckless at times. Especially when handling their miraculouses.

Now, it is true that Marinette has made her fair share of mistakes as well because she was impulsive, but most of the time that flaw shone through as Marinette, not Ladybug. Whereas Adrien and Kagami appeared to be far more composed as their civilian selves (because they have to be due to their parents’ strictness) than their superhero selves.

When they both received their miraculouses they both made the same mistake: they transformed before learning everything they needed to in order to be effective users. In Adrien’s case, he didn’t listen to Plagg when he was about to tell him about the Cataclysm’s time limit. And in Kagami’s she transformed just as Longg was about to tell her about Ladybug’s plan.

As a result, Chat Noir wasted his power when facing off against Stone Heart, and Ryuuko allowed Ikari Gozen to capture Chat Noir. 

Moreover, in both cases they viewed their newfound powers as a chance to escape their parents and their lifestyles, both literally and figuratively. Therefore, judging by these similarities as well as the others we have already discussed, I’m going to dub this impulsiveness they display as superheroes as the “Sheltered Rich Kid Syndrome.”

Even so, there is a difference between the two: Kagami was actually more reckless than Adrien when she first transformed. 

In Origins, Chat Noir acted on his own not because he wanted to, but because Ladybug was still doubting herself to be of assistance. But, the moment she stepped in and took charge of the situation, Chat followed her plans without hesitation. 

Kagami, on the other hand, fuelled by her own issues with her mother, her impulsiveness, and her newfound liberty, insisted on taking on Ikari Gozen by herself without a plan or even Ladybug and Chat Noir’s assistance (despite them being the seasoned heroes of Paris). And this decision lacked forethought because 1) she had no experience fighting akumas, 2) despite her experience fighting her mother, Kagami always loses (and that is when Tomoe has no superpowers), and 3) she obviously had no strategy. 

It wasn’t until she ultimately failed and made things more complicated for the heroes that she realised her mistake.

In other words, while both Adrien and Kagami use their alter egos as an escape from their proverbial prisons, Adrien takes his responsibilities as Chat Noir and his loyalty to Ladybug more seriously than Kagami.

Honesty:

I did say earlier that Adrien and Kagami are both honest people. Even so, saying they’re at the same level of honesty would be a lie.

Adrien’s sincerity is what warmed Marinette up to him, just like it did for Kagami, but he’s nowhere near as honest as Kagami. 

As @miraculouslycool​​ and @flightfoot​​ pointed out not long ago, Lila is actually what Adrien would have turned into if it weren’t for his redeeming qualities and the use he gives to his abilities. Because both are kids who have learned to be sneaky in order to get what they want. Adrien can’t afford to have his father finding out about the things he hides from him because it would lead to disastrous consequences, like when he pulled him out of school over the grimoire. 

True, Adrien chooses to be honest, kind to others, and the best person he can possibly be. Major kudos for that. But he’s still not above lying or using relatively underhanded tactics to get the results he wants. The best example being his lie to Théo about being an item with Ladybug just to get him to back off. 

In a way, that could be a reason why he’s so disgusted by Lila’s behaviour. Unlike him, she doesn’t use her lies and manipulation as a last resort, she uses them with everyone regardless of her interactions with them and the consequences of her actions just because she can. 

But I’m getting off topic. 

As stated above, Adrien chooses to be honest, but is perfectly capable of being sly and sneaky. He knows how to operate in the shadows. 

Kagami doesn’t. 

And that is probably because in her case not being honest is what can get her in serious trouble, let alone if she misbehaves or not. So, fear of the consequences tied with a natural disdain for lies have made Kagami to be honest to a fault. 

And this wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing if it weren’t for the fact that she’s so honest, she becomes brutally honest; coming off as rude to others. To put it simply, Kagami doesn’t know how to sugarcoat things, for one reason or another. Which is why her assessment on Marinette’s personality based on her deduction of her blood type and a single question about her favourite season can be seen as rude or impolite. And it is perfectly fine to see it like that! After all, that is the conclusion many of us would arrive at if we were in Marinette’s situation and had no context on why the other person is acting like that. 

Honestly, if I’d been in Marinette’s shoes, I would’ve been like, “Joke’s on you. I’m type A.”

Basically, while Adrien is used to working in the shadows, Kagami is forthright and prefers to face things head on, and both are mindsets and strategies with strengths and weaknesses. 

The rings:

Now this is another delicious parallel between the two, just like Marinette and Luka both have earrings. 

As we’ve been saying all along, Adrien and Kagami both have a lot on their plate. They have many responsibilities that can become a burden in the long run, especially when we keep in mind that they are still children. Just like Marinette is exhausted from having to be level-headed and responsible in so many scenarios. 

However, the rings Adrien and Kagami wear are both parallels and opposites from one another. They both represent some kind of responsibility at their core, but the effects of said responsibility vary. 

In Adrien’s case, he wields the black cat miraculous. Needless to say, this ties him with the duties that come from being Chat Noir and having the power of destruction by his side. A power that, as seen in Miraculer and the New York Special, can be disastrous if handled poorly. And yet, his miraculous actually represents the best part of his life, because it gives him freedom. Being Chat Noir has allowed him to be himself, without the restraint from his father’s presence. It gave him the chance to meet Ladybug who, aside from being the girl he loves, is also his best friend. The miraculous has just… given him a chance to live. 

Adrien’s ring is his saving grace.

On the contrary, Kagami’s ring represents the kind of duties she’s far more familiar with. Her ring ties her to her family. 

That ring is a constant reminder of the pressure she’s under, of her family’s expectations, of the person she’s been raised to believe she should be. Which is symbolised by her family’s kanji being engraved on the ring. 

As seen in Riposte, when Kagami loses any kind of challenge she’s supposed to have been prepared for, she believes she has let her family down. 

Kagami’s ring is the lock of her golden cage.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

[etherealxgenie]

Why Lila is Marinette’s Own Fault || Miraculous Why?

(Before I begin, note that this is my opinion over the topic and am no way am bashing anyone’s love for the ship and/or character. I respect who and what you like, therefore expect the same courtesy. However, if this is something you cannot handle, please click the back button as this will be a heavily discussed topic. No flames allowed. Other than that, enjoy.)

So usually in the story, there’s always one or two mean girls who is out to get the main character for some kind of superior reasons to justify. And there’s no reason as to why they act this way just for the sake of being mean.

Like the Ashleys from “Recess”, who tend to pick on kids just for the fun of it sometimes or cause they’re popular.

Same can go for Libby from “Sabrina The Teenage Witch” who was out to get something for what she wants or just to be superior to the other kids in school.

For Miraculous, we already have that kind of character, Chloe Bourgeois, who is the daddy’s girl of the Mayor to get what she wants. And until we had some small character development in season two (which season 3 took it away!!), we had no reason feeling sorry for her and she was just for the convenient plot in the social life for Marinette in the series.

And then… there’s Lila.

Before I get into hand in this, let me note that Lila is not a good person at all in the show. She’s a liar, a manipulator and will do whatever she can to get what she wants. She breaks into homes, steals and molests pretty models. She’s been pretty shown to be just selfish without consequences and unless we get a background story of why she acts this way, she has no excuse. Especially when she teams up with hawkdaddy to now have permission to invade and spy on Adrien whenever she wants? Fuck that.

So in Volpina, Lila is introduced as this pathological liar to get attention in season one. She obviously goes for Adrien cause he’s the famous model after all. Reasonable considering as the new person looking for attention, you seek out the most popular/famous person in the school. That would Adrien.

Though considering with her connections, it would’ve been smarter to try and impress Marinette instead if Lila did her research before she came into the scene. But of course, new person so she wouldn’t know, but whatever.

And we can see Lila easily just says things just to get Adrien’s approval and such.

And so, Marinette follows them around (stalking? really?) because Tikki points out Lila has the book Adrien took from his father’s vault and threw it in the trash.

Now the SMART thing to do would’ve been to see how Adrien would handle the situation and wait for him to leave, if to acknowledge Adrien has a mind of his own and knows when to walk away (which he does). Or at the very least, try to distract them as Marinette while Tikki retrieved the book.

But… no. You transform into Ladybug to lash out at a girl PUBLICALLY, for anyone including Adrien to hear, just to embarrass her and call her out on her lying because she… “hates liars”.

Marinette, you fucking lie ALL the time! Most of those times to Adrien! And I’m not just talking about when in regard to being Ladybug, you hypocritical- (groans)

I can list plenty of episodes: Gamer, Aninmaestro, Ikari Gozen and hell, even Reverser counts! If she hadn’t lied about Marc’s book, Nathaniel wouldn’t have torn it! (sighs)

And before you all start jumping at me saying Lila got what she deserves, I only agree partially. Ladybug, as a public figure and heroine, practically the face of Paris, acted irrationally lashing out at a bystander because of lies which were or were not believable. Lila was broadcasting a post or making the news, she was trying (poorly) to impress a boy. Ladybug gave Lila the Regina George treatment.

Yeah, so you caused an akumatized situation and Lila hates your guts. Hell, I would hate you too. That’s like a celebrity jumping at an innocent bystander when they’re whispering to their friend about a rumor that only the two of them were talking about. You can’t jump to try and stop them and should just let it dispel on its own. At that point, Lila had no real power but you just influenced her.

And… oh boy did things get worse because of this.

Look season 3 was trash (except for moments in certain episodes) and I feel talking about the infamous ‘Chameleon’ physically hurts me but… yeah gotta point out a few things. The whole episode was unrealistic, and it was an obvious ploy to be sympathetic to Marinette with Lila back… but… you’re not fooling me.

So, Lila is still on her lying game, being able to fool the students and the staff?! Okay if you believe a student has so many disabilities without any paperwork proof, you can actually get fired for that for fraud. As someone who worked with education before, that’s just pure incompetence.

So yeah, Marinette comes to school seeing the seats changes to accommodate Lila and upright begins to plot to discredit her for her lies. UM… what happened to trying to start over with Lila after failing to do so the first time?

Oh, that’s right. She gets that way (at least partly) because Lila is sitting next to Adrien. I can understand if it was because they rearranged the seating without her say so but let’s face it. Lila sitting next to Adrien was her real trigger.

So since Marinette failed to acknowledge her mistake the first time, she spends all day trying to prove Lila is lying and in return the class is angry at her. Alya even comes to point out that Marinette is jealous of Lila.

And you know what? Alya is right.

Alya knows at least what Marinette is capable of doing so when it comes to Adrien and how far she’s willing to go. Remember that Alya is the one who encouraged her to break into his locker and steal his phone. So of course, she’s worried Marinette is gonna do something to the new girl.

I don’t blame Alya for doing one of the most competent things in the show: Warning Marinette to NOT go off the handle without proof and not make herself look bad in the process.

And because Marinette failed to do so… she made Lila her enemy AGAIN. It was bad enough you had her as your enemy as Ladybug, but now you get to deal with twice the drama!

Your own fucking fault, Marinette.

Also, the advice Adrien gave? I don’t blame for him for it and neither should you. Yes, his advice is not perfect, but with the options he has on his plate, its hard to do something otherwise.

For every encounter Adrien has had with Lila, it ended up with her being akumatized or a disaster no matter how he tried to handle her. We didn’t get to see how he would resolve in Volpina because of Ladybug’s intervention, but he would try at least in Chameleon and try to get her to see she didn’t need to lie and actually tried to befriend her. At this point, Lila was already triggered by Ladybug and Marinette so she just might have to take Adrien by force instead.

At that point, Adrien just wants to stay away and which he was trying to tell Marinette don’t interact with Lila or confront her cause there’s no way to do so at this point. Maybe he was trying to tell her to wait until her rumors got discredited, but he didn’t say it clear enough for her to understand.

And keep in mind, Adrien is a sheltered child with little to zero social skills taught to him by Nathalie and Gabriel. Hell, we don’t know how his childhood was really like even with Emelie around either and Adrien seems more like the pacifist unless he needs to absolutely step in. And he did by cleaning up Marinette’s mess in ‘Ladybug’. So now he’s gotta suffer being around Lila more because of Marinette making Lila her enemy.

But once again, this is bad writing as the writers of the show obviously forgot what it’s like to live in reality. In the real world, Lila would be immediately discredited without any proof the moment she came back. Not to mention, some of the class have their own connections and have more braincells proven in the previous episodes. Google search and such. A 5-year-old wouldn’t believe these lies in these times. Hey, I believe that because I once had a kid in kindergarten during my time as an afterschool art teacher look at one of my books I illustrated before and said they liked the ‘graphics’.

Kids are fucking smarter nowadays than you think.

The only reason anyone would believe Lila’s lies is if she’s magically influenced with some kind of ‘silver tongue’ spell or something and honestly? It looks like that’s the reason.

I dunno if Thomas Astruc or Zag is trying to insult the kids/adults or insult themselves to say Paris people aren’t that smart. If it’s the latter, you should see what you are doing because I don’t want to believe that because that’s disrespectful.

I know it seems I’m trying to stand up for Lila this portion, but I’m just looking things in a  more realistic and logical way. Did Lila take things too far? Yes, waaaayyy too far and should be arrested for it since she works for Hawkmoth. But it could’ve been handled better and that makes Marinette at fault too.

Part of me wonders if she’s done this before because in Zombiezou, she also causes Chloe to ruin her gift for Ms. bustier. If Marinette didn’t antagonize Chloe in the locker in front of the class, maybe she wouldn’t have done anything. Again, I’m not saying Chloe was justified, but if that was the reason, yeah I can see her doing it for payback.

So to all those fics where I’m supposed to be ‘Boo-hoo’ for Marinette because of what Lila did? Fuck you guys because you need to dig deeper into the story to see both sides and not just make it a pity party where Marinette is the innocent victim.

It’s called “Cause and Effect”.

And considering she made Lila her enemy, Marinette is gonna get effected enough because that’s how karma works.

[quickspinner]

S4E1 Truth Reactions

Just a reminder, you can filter #quickrants if you don’t want to see this kind of thing.

So...I’m not that upset.  I think I’m in the minority here, but clearly my expectations were sufficiently low and I’m really mostly okay with it. I wanted one thing out of this episode, for them to not screw up Luka’s character, and I got that. 

There’s a lot of things I’m not happy about, but all indications from early on were that they were going to break the ship up way sooner than we expected, so I kind of had time to make my peace with that. I just wanted them to keep Luka’s character intact, and for him and Marinette to part on good terms so that we can HC that they get together later when they are both more mature.

The things that I didn’t like were so typical that they didn’t even bother me that  much:

Literally every character they could possibly shoehorn in saying “Marinette is in love with Adrien Agreste” (however, note, that while every other character was talking about Adrien, aside from that first convo, Marinette was not)

Adrien didn’t even show up and it was all about him, from the rambly confusion in Marinette’s bedroom, to Luka saying “hey, if you’re still in love with Adrien, I’ll understand.” 

Chat Noir saying he would never force a secret from Ladybug when the entire episode Siren exists. I mean, regardless of how you feel about Chat’s behavior in that episode...he was trying to force the issue. If not from Ladybug, then to get Ladybug’s secret from Plagg, all without being akumatized. 

The biggest issue I have with the episode is the way they shoehorned the Couffaine family drama into it, which meant that neither plot thread got the attention it needed/deserved, and as a result, they had to skip over a lot of stuff, and the entire narrative of the episode was choppy. Would it have been that hard to have a few episodes leading up to this where we saw Marinette ditching Luka on dates, instead of cramming it all into one montage of pain? And we’re really going to go from Jagged saying that he basically ditched his family for no good reason, into Luka hugging him and letting him be the dad-comforter at the end of the ep? AND WHAT ABOUT JULEKA? Does she just not count because she’s a girl and men only care about their sons? Astruc just doubled down on the twin thing on Twitter, but we’re not even going to address that at all? 

That whole thing should have been dealt with in another episode; Luka could have found out in this one, and then we could have seen him approaching Jagged as a civilian later (maybe we’ll still see this, but I don’t have any faith it will happen) to work it all out. 

I admit I kinda screamed when Anarka said it, though. I didn’t think they would ever confirm it on air. The way it was handled, though, ugh. Jagged really comes off like a deadbeat jerk and then he just, what? Gets forgiven for no reason? After he wrote a song called “My Guitar Is My Only Family”???? 

Also, the episode as a whole was visually really ugly, and Luka really got the worst of it. Like, yikes. I don’t know why they went full on Lord of the Rings with the special effects, either, can’t you make a character look shocked without inverting the entire background? Multiple times? 

Side note: can I just say how hilarious I find it that Hawkmoth repaired the peacock Miraculous with a 50 cent pin back from Joanne’s and by saying “Repair yourself!” Just...so ridiculous.

There were a lot of things I liked.

The sincerity of the movie date. Marinette may have flaked big time not remembering it, but once they actually got out together, away from other influences, they were having so much fun! Going to see a movie they knew was terrible because they both love Jagged so much! I have hearts in my eyes. They were super cute! Their lyric guessing contest! They way they were so focused on each other and having fun. Marinette’s cute way of giving him his gift for ‘winning’ the contest, and Luka using their lyric game to ask for a kiss, and having that cute little nervous look before he really went for it. I’m gonna be watching that scene like a billion times. 

My heart broke for both of them when Marinette kept running off. I like that they made it clear that this was an ongoing thing. That one moment of Luka being snarky and upset that she didn’t come to the concert just hurt that much more because he’s normally so calm. It really hurt when he didn’t get excited that she finally arrived.

But what happened after that was so Luka. He didn’t get sulky and passive aggressive. He didn’t get upset with her in front of everybody. He took her somewhere private, somewhere that was important to him, and he gave her context for how he was feeling by sharing something private about himself, and he asked her as gently as possible what was going on. I think it’s telling that he made a point of letting her know that he was okay with it if she was still hung up on Adrien.  All he really wanted from her was confirmation that she was committed to this relationship, because after being ditched so many times it’s natural to start questioning whether she was really ready for this, and he didn’t want to be pressuring her into something. He just wanted her to tell him the truth. I think the parallel he gave her was nice, too; not only was he sort of letting her know he maybe has some abandonment issues that are making this hard for him, he’s giving her an opening to admit that she gets overwhelmed for whatever reason and that she ditches him to go hide and collect herself. In spite of all the things he is clearly feeling, he’s so careful with her, and it shows even more when he’s fighting his akumatization. Because his feelings are that she should tell him, that she should trust him, and he’s hurt that she doesn’t, but what he says, and what his behavior backs up, is that you can’t force the truth out of people (nice callback to Silencer there, where Ladybug said something similar about forcing someone to tell the truth is meaningless). He wants to believe that Marinette trusts him and has a good reason for not telling him; he wants to believe that if he can make her feel safe enough she’ll choose to confide in him. Poor guy is just trying to understand without spilling his bad feelings all over her. That’s really the core of what I like about Luka; he’s thoughtful, respectful, and gentle, but he confronts issues head on. He did it in Silencer, he did it in Felix, he did it in Miracle Queen, each time getting right to the heart of what Marinette was having trouble saying without putting pressure on her to admit anything she wasn’t ready for her. That’s what I was really, really scared of losing in this episode and I am just over the moon that they handled it so well. 

The akuma is another story, but akumas are akumas. Those where his emotions without control and I’m not upset about that. Both of Luka’s akumas were about anger and powerlessness. 

I feel deeply cheated that we didn’t get any kind of scene of Luka coming back to the boat, and Anarka having to tell him again about Jagged because he doesn’t remember, but she said it in front of everyone (including Juleka) so there’s no way to keep it a secret anymore. The cut to the breakup scene on the bridge was just so abrupt, and there was so much that should have happened between that that we should have seen.

I would have liked to have seen Marinette finding him, and asking if he’s okay, and giving him a little sympathy before finally giving him the honesty he asked for. Even when she tries to say it, that she can’t give him the relationship he deserves right now (and I’m eternally grateful that she didn’t lie to him and tell him that it actually was because of Adrien), Luka makes a choice. He closes his eyes as he hugs her (which I think is significant, given the whole third-eye imagery of Truth) and he doesn’t make her say it. Honestly, I usually feel gross about using the word ‘deserved’ in relationships, but I think it’s justified here--he deserved for her to look him in the eye and tell him that she couldn’t be with him. But he didn’t make her do it. He wasn’t angry at her, and they didn’t part with bad feelings, and he was Luka right up until the end.

Maybe it’s sad that that’s as much as I felt could be reasonably hoped for in this episode, but there it is. I’m not happy, but I’m satisfied.

[giuliafc]

Voicemail... Again?

Read it on Ao3 || FFN

Written by: JuliaFC

Beta: Fluffy, KhanOfAllOrcs

Summary: Marinette forgot again to close the call with Adrien's voicemail after calling him to arrange a cinema 'date'. And this time, Adrien gets more than he bargained for. (Wordcount: 951 words)

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by (c) Thomas Astruc, TS1 Bouygues, Disney Channel, Zagtoon, Toei Animation. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Written for the "Snippet July" challenge of the Miraculous Fanworks Discord server @miraculousfanworks AND for LadyNoir July @ladynoirjuly Day 11 — Hypocrisy/Voicemail-calls. Let me know what you think!

oOoOoOoOoOo

She had done it. Again! She couldn't believe it! And this time, it was even worse. Much, much worse. So incredibly worse that she couldn't even breathe for how much worse it was.

———- Flashback———-

There was this new 3d anime movie that was going to air the following week at the local cinema. Marinette knew that Adrien was a dork, and how much he loved anime, and this one in particular was one of his favourites. So, Alya had convinced her to invite Adrien to the movie and eventually, after hours of looking at the phone and then throwing it on the chaise, Alya had grabbed Marinette's phone and dialed the number. Marinette wished she could dig a hole and hide when the call went into voicemail.

"Uh, h-hi, it's Ma-marinette. Hi. I… know you like ears. Uh, I mean anime. You don't like ears, that would be silly. Uh, well, yeah, so… theeeeeere's this anime cinema and… maybe… watch it? I m-mean, with me. Uh. Not as a date. N-no… totally as friends. So, let me know. 'Kay. Cya!"

That said, she threw the phone on the chaise and sat down on her desk chair to stop the mad beating of her heart. And, of course, she had again forgotten to hang up. And, of course, Alya said,

"Way to go! You finally asked him out!" She raised both arms in a victory. "Although I must say that, for the one and only Ladybug, I would expect more courage. I mean… 'totally as friends'. Yeah. Right…"

Marinette blushed. "I've been Ladybug, all along, Alya, and that has never prevented me from being a blushing mess in front of him."

"Yes, I know," said Alya with a smirk, "but now you decided to give up all romantic relationships because it would interfere with your role as Guardian. So you—"

Marinette's phone interrupted Alya with a loud beep: "End of the message. Goodbye!"

Marinette's heart sank to the ground, her face blanched, her eyes nearly popped out of her sockets. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?" She grabbed her phone and saw Adrien's picture fade away.

"Uh oh…" whispered Alya. "Don't tell me you forgot again…"

———- End of Flashback———-

Marinette lost the ability to breathe. She looked at her phone. Then at Alya. Then at her phone again. Then she let out a skin curling scream, as she grabbed Alya by the shoulders and shook her. "THIS IS A DISAAAAAAAAAASTER!!! ALYA, YOU CALLED ME LADYBUG! I CONFIRMED IT! YOU SAID THAT I WAS THE GUARDIAN! OH MY GOD! IT DIDN'T EVEN ASK ME TO SAVE IT, IT JUST DID! MY LIFE IS OVER!"

"I thought you had hung up!" said Alya, who also lost all redness from her face, looking quite grey.

Marinette dug the fingertips of both hands into her cheeks. "He can't listen to that message! This time, he REALLY can't!"

That was how they ended up once again stealing Adrien's phone. And this time, Rena Rouge helped Marinette with one of her Illusions. They snatched the phone, and after quite a few hours of attempts, they managed to work out Adrien's new locking pattern, and went into the voicemail to delete the message.

When the voicemail said, 'Message deleted', finally Marinette breathed.

But she shouldn't have. She should've noticed that the message was stored in Adrien's read inbox. Because in his room, sitting in his desk chair, elbow pinned on his desk, chin resting on the heel of his hand, was Adrien. Eyes-wide and super pale. Holding his home phone receiver (which he had just used to check his stolen phone's voicemail) in his other hand.

"Marinette is Ladybug?" he whispered as he recovered his ability to breathe. "And Alya knows?"

Plagg looked sheepishly at his holder, noticing how hurt he was by his partner's behaviour. Honestly, Pigtails? Stealing his phone? That was low… and telling her identity to someone else before a reveal with his holder? That was even lower. Plagg felt a rush of disappointment shooting through his little body and, before Adrien asked anything or even dared look at him, he fled inside his cheese cabinet.

He wasn't paid enough for this. Nope. He wasn't going to help Pigtails out of this mess. For once, she would need to face his gamin and tell him the truth. Because he didn't deserve this hypocrisy. But he couldn't finish his reasoning because, from outside the cabinet, Adrien said it loud and clear, "Plagg, claws out!"

oOoOoOoOoOo

When Ladybug landed atop the Eiffel Tower, she expected to see Chat Noir smile and greet his Lady warmly. Not tonight. Tonight, he didn't even look at her until she sat next to him.

"Who else knows?" he asked abruptly, his gaze lost, admiring the lights of the city flickering beneath them.

Ladybug's brows furrowed. "Knows what?"

"Your identity, Marinette." The way he emphasised her name left no doubt about the kind of black humour he was in. "Besides Alya, who else knows?"

Ladybug uttered a shocked gasp. "Wh-wha…? How?"

Instead of answering, he showed her his hand, palm facing up. "Can I have my phone back, please? Since you already deleted your message. Is that what happened when we faced Copycat? You made a mistake and had to steal my phone to rectify it?"

Ladybug's eyes widened, her complexion paled. "A-adrien?"

Chat Noir's gaze didn't soften. He just stared, his green eyes looking uncomfortably serious to Ladybug. "Don't change the subject, M'lady. Stop being a hypocrite and be honest with me. Tell me the truth. I think I deserve to know."

And as Ladybug lowered her gaze and blushed, she knew it was true. She cleared her throat and finally let it all out.

---------------------------------

Author's Note

There you go. Day 11 a bit earlier than usual but… this was easy. I had this thought in my mind since the day I watched Copycat: how could Adrien not have called his voicemail from his house phone to hear the message when he 'lost his phone', since it's not hard at all to do? So when I got the prompt with hypocrisy written next to voicemail… I just let my brain go loose!

I hope you liked this little story and will decide to reblog with tags and/or comments, or leave me a comment on Ao3 or FFN. You know that comments are my bread and butter and I love to read your feedback!

Until (hopefully) tomorrow, bug out!

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

#4: There's totally character development, you guys! You just don't see it!

A common critique of Miraculous Ladybug is the lack of actual character growth and development in three seasons, a sentiment most of the fandom agrees with.

At the time of this post, Miraculous Ladybug has been through three seasons with 78 episodes, and nothing has really changed. Sure, by the third season, new villains were introduced, and the season finale shook up the status quo a little bit by exposing the identities of the temporary heroes as a result of Chloe's damnation arc that was obviously planned from the beginning, but despite one of the main plotlines being the relationship between the two, Marinette and Adrien are still at square one. She's still a stammering mess around him, he still doesn't get she has feelings for him, while Cat Noir still can't take a hint that Ladybug isn't into him.

Sure, you could make the argument that they're in relationships with other people now, but not even the show wants to acknowledge it, as a big part of the recent New York City special was about Marinette and Adrien's friends forcing the two to spend time together, even though Marinette said she was trying to move on from him. Even the synopsis for the fourth season says that Marinette still has feelings for Adrien, so now we're wasting even more time on this subplot that's starting to rival Ross and Rachel in terms of tediousness.

Honestly, a good representation of the writing process can easily be summarized like so:

But enough of my rant, what you're here for is what Astruc has said in response to this kind of criticism in this (now deleted) tweet.

Okay, first of all, who unironically uses the term “haterz” to describe someone who criticizes them? What is he, Taylor Swift?

Second, in order to properly analyze this tweet, I'm going to have to talk about Luka and Kagami first. They were introduced during the second season of Miraculous Ladybug to complicate the Love Square, sort of like Jackie and Tom during Star vs. the Forces of Evil. Their reception was... mixed, to say the least. Part of it had to do with how the show first portrayed them.

Now, I like both of these characters, as well as the ships associated with them, but I want to make things clear that this is based on fan interpretation of these characters. If you like Luka and Kagami, or the associated ships with them, that's fine. Same goes for the ships in the Love Square between Marinette and Adrien. While I will be criticizing the writing of the romantic subplots, I am not trying to start a ship war here. This is all about the way Astruc views the writing of Luka and Kagami. So let's please try to keep any comments here civil.

Luka first appeared in the episode “Captain Hardrock”, and was instantly infatuated with Marinette. Fans really didn't like the episode. In addition to the boring villain and horrible animation on display, some viewers simply found Luka to be a boring character. Don't get me wrong, there were still some fans who loved Luka in his first appearance, but for others, it took until his next appearance, “Frozer”, for them to warm up to Luka. The thing is that was because of how Adrien had been for some of the season.

See, mid-Season 2, people had started to question the way Adrien was being written. He had been much more assertive in his attempts to get Ladybug to fall for him, like setting up dates, offering flowers, and supporting the media shipping the two together, claiming they're “meant to be”.

This ties back into why people stated to like Luka more. Unlike Adrien, who was more intrusive of Ladybug's boundaries, Luka was much more calm and understanding of how conflicted Marinette was when she was caught between him and Adrien. By Season 3, a lot of fans found Adrien was only getting worse and basically abandoned ship (no pun intended) to start shipping Luka with Marinette.

While I believe there are some problems with the way Adrien is being written (which I will get into in a later entry), I don't think all hope is lost for the Love Square, as there are some generally cute moments between Marinette and Adrien, and there have been a lot of great fanfics featuring the two as a couple. So it's safe to say I don't think the Love Square is a lost cause.

At the same time, I can understand why people would start shipping Lukanette instead because of the way they viewed Adrien's behavior during Season 3. I also think they have some nice moments in the show, with one of the few good episodes in the garbage fire that is Season 3, “Silencer”, being all about Luka and Marinette growing closer.

Here's the thing. The way the fanbase perceived Luka? IT ISN'T CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.

A big reason fans started to ship Lukanette because of how poorly the other romantic subplot with Adrien was going. Hell, people started to ship Marinette with Damian Wayne because of how much they hated Adrien. Some fans have also cited how Marinette looks much more comfortable around Luka compared to when she’s an anxious mess around Adrien, allowing for better interactions with the former.

And Astruc is acting like the fact that more people are shipping Lukanette like it's all part of his brilliant plan. It's hard to explain how ridiculous this sounds without starting a ship war across Tumblr, so let's move onto what he said about Kagami.

Kagami's first appearance in the episode “Riposte” didn't really give the audience a good idea of what she was like, as she was the Akuma of that episode. All we really knew about her was that she was a fencer, her mom was incredibly strict towards her, and she hit it off with Adrien. It didn't help that she didn't have another appearance for almost an entire year.

Her next appearance, “Frozer”, really didn't portray her in a positive light. Because Kagami had a crush on Adrien, she was a lot more cold to Marinette (even though they hadn't met before and when Adrien told her about her at the end of “Riposte”, she sounded eager to meet her) and basically told her to move her ass or Adrien was hers. Oh, you think I'm paraphrasing? That is literally what Astruc said when someone asked the meaning of that line.

Because all girls do is fight over cute boys, right? Such a good message for a “girl power” show.

Her next appearance in “Animaestro ”made her out to be the threat in the first half of the episode for the crime of hanging out with Adrien. This motivates Marinette to team up with Chloe of all people to embarrass Kagami in front of Adrien, and neither of them are ever called out for it. Yes, Marinette and Chloe both have a crush on Adrien, but the show is demonizing Kagami for daring to spend time with him when Adrien honestly looks much more comfortable around her compared to when Chloe or Lila (another character I'll talk about later) force themselves onto him.

So here's a fun fact: If you write a character as a threat to the protagonist in a completely irrational way, all while perpetuating the cliche stereotype of girls fighting over boys, people aren't going to like that character.

It wasn't until the episode “Ikari Gozen” that Kagami and Marinette finally became friends, and people actually warmed up to her because the show stopped trying to portray her as a romantic rival on the same level as Chloe and Lila.

So while you could call Kagami becoming friends with Marinette character development, it just comes right out of left field, I don't really think it was planned out. But even if, congratulations Astruc. You finally wrote some character development for two supporting characters. Now if only you could do it for your main characters too.

(Sorry if this isn’t my best work, I’ve been focusing on another entry that tackles an... interesting example of how poorly Astruc can respond to criticism.)

[chicoriii]

Season 4, Episode 3 - Le gang des secrets (Gang of Secrets)

So far I've been writing my posts about new episodes just after watching it, but this time I didn't manage to do it. I've seen the episode yesterday, but right after finishing it, I started working on a subtitle file for this episode. It's not that I know French, I'm Polish  and I've been learning only English and German in my life (though I haven't used that second language since 10 years after high school). I'm a member of project in which we're trying to provide more literal translation of the French original than the English dub (so also using French names of the characters, with "transform-me" instead of English transformation phrases etc.), but my role is mostly making subtitles and hardcode them. Hopefully, Gang of Secrets will be the the first episode we will complete. I've done 3/4 of the episode till now, but even that took ages, because setting time marks is very time-consuming and tedious work. I also always try to not read others people opinions before, because I don't want to be suggested by them, but this time I've seen a glimpse of some people posts.

It's hard to say something about this episode. I don't know to think about it, to be fair. I can't not get the impression that Miraculous is getting overly dramatic. All three first episodes were like that to some extent and this one the most. Some drama is not bad, but high intensity in a short time would be too much. Too much for me. But I know some people like that the show becomes more "serious". The New York special is popular in the fandom for a reason. Now I know what Astruc had in mind saying that the S4 will have "equivalent to the impact of Chat Blanc on each episode". He meant every episode will be more or less dramatic. I don't think I like it, the more drama, the more tiring it's becoming and the less emotions we feel, because we're getting used to them too much. The balance is very important. It would be better to place some more lighthearted episodes between those more dramatic ones. But I felt that Furious Fu wasn't a dramatic episode. It was important for the plot, but not too "heavy", so maybe it won't be that bad.

At least Ladynoir moment from the beginning was hilarious. Especially Ladybug roasting romantic comedies for being unbelievable and suggesting watching superhero movies instead for lacking of emotions, as Miraculous itself is mix of both genres.

I've seen someone complaining that Marinette's current breakdown should have happened way before, because she's been forced to lie to everyone since she become Ladybug and now that's just a cheap drama. I can't completely agree with it. Prior to season 4 she was not only Ladybug, but she also could live in her dreamed life in which she's happy with Adrien. She's been thinking that she could be with her loved one if she's managed to confess and he won't reject her. But now she believes that she can't have any boyfriend. She can't be even in a "light" rebound relationship like that one with Luka. That's not only fear of rejection, now she can't dream anymore about the future in which she's Adrien's wife, they have three kids and a hamster. She's sure it will never happen and that makes her life destroyed. Is she exaggerating? Of course, she is. But that's completely valid. She's just a teen. Teenagers being overdramatic is completely normal. We all were like that, too! I remember having few short emotional breakdowns (though much lighter than Marinette's), because I could not be with my first crush when I was at her age (at the end, I have never been with him, but I think it was a good thing). I only don't want that to last too long. Then I could start complaining about it as well.

I have nothing more important to add about other aspects of the episodes than the ending of it, so I just let me proceed to it.

It's hard to me to believe that reveal would last. It happened completely out of nowhere and very early in the season. And Alya. She's a good friend and I like her, but as someone said, she's not as much important to the plot. I know that many people loved that she is the first person who learns Ladybug's identity, but that doesn't seem to be the most logical step. I'm not completely against the idea, but before seeing episode 4, I won't believe it's going to last. I think the show could just tricks us. The episode ends with a cliffhanger, so it could be easily undone at the start of the next one. It could turn out to be just daydreaming of exhausted Marinette about revealing her secret to someone. Or the next episode will be another Chat Blanc-like one, in which Alya discovering Ladybug's identity led to a catastrophe (even without Alya’s fault), Bunnix has to get in on the action, and Marinette learns that she can't tell anyone her identity. Even her best friend she trusts a lot. Maybe even teen Alix could get the rabbit Miraculous in it. At first I thought that Fluff could use her power just at the start of the next episode, but then I remembered that Kwamis using their powers without holders has some bad consequences and Miraculous Ladybug can't be used.

I could be wrong and maybe we will see Alya helping Marinette with superhero and Guardian stuff in the next episode. Alya knowing the truth could have zero negative consequences. But knowing the show, I would suggest to try to not be too enthusiastic about it yet, because you could be disappointed at the end.

If it was Alix, it would be more believable to me, because as I've written in other post, Marinette is aware that adult Alix knows identities of them (her, Chat Noir's, Hawk Moth's) and the world is fine despite of it. It always seemed to be more logical to me. But maybe the writers have a different opinion and Alya knowing it is not against the rule of keeping identities in secret. Maybe they claim it's a good time for Alya.

I really hope that none television would release episodes out of order. Even if it means a hiatus. I would be even fine with a little break. Episode 4 needs to be aired next. Since we know nothing about it and the 5th one as well, I think they may be not finished yet.

[miraculouscontent]

Ask Explosion #6

Asks answering previous posts:

Oh, okay! I’m glad, thank you!

(the post this anon is referring to)

Ohhhh.

And fjbgjnfkjgfg thanks >////<

I don’t think there’s much wrong with liking the design itself; I prefer Riposte personally, but that’s just me.

The best way I could put the “insensitive” part (I’m sort of dumb when it comes to this stuff and I talked about it before when I was working on that 3D model of Marinette) is that it’s so heavy on Japanese. I mean, they already have Kagami constantly wear what looks like a school uniform and Tomoe is just like--super heavy Japanese. It’s like the show doesn’t know how to balance “can’t tell at all” (with Marinette) and then “okay this is WAY strong” (with Kagami+Tomoe+Kung Food).

That makes sense! I guess the only problem then would be that the kwami can’t really act as mentors of any kind because “you’re saying this just because that’s all you can say” (like Sass, hypothetically, always willing to give someone a second chance, no matter what; I know that’s not what his power specifically entails but it’s just an example).

I would however definitely lean towards kwami being very strict in one alignment, so Tikki would always be on the path of pure good and thus never want to take/steal/whatever, whereas Plagg is always on the path of “bad,” but there are times where Marinette will have to ignore Tikki while Adrien will have to listen to Plagg.

And yeah, the guardians existing and the kwami not having so much control... not a huge fan.

Someone asked about Chat Noir’s flirting and he claimed that it was “on purpose” (you know, while throwing episodes like “Felix” at us but okay) and then he followed up with this:

There was also this other comment he made a while back when someone tried to make a suggestion to him:

Except he’s missing the point completely. When he talks about constructive criticism, he acts like it doesn’t matter, especially not anymore now that they’re working on Seasons 4 and 5:

(I mean, personally, I don’t think I need “engineering knowledge” to know when a rollercoaster I’d ridden nearly tossed the cart off the tracks and had questionable design decisions, but you do you, Astruc.)

Yes, constructive criticism is mainly for seeing a product improve, but that doesn’t mean ignoring it because, “well you haven’t seen the full product.”

“Animaestro” even has a bit of commentary on it:

Ladybug: What's with that trailer too? I am not scared of cats, at all.

Animaestro: You haven't even seen the movie and you're already slamming it?

Chat Noir: He does have a point, you know.

Ladybug: I wasn't slamming it. It's called constructive criticism!

(firstly, of course Chat Noir bows to Astruc on that one because he’s Astruc’s sunshine boy, ugh)

Ignoring the fact that a movie/printed book is usually a “full product,” criticism is also to say “you did this thing wrong, don’t do this in the future.” It doesn’t have to be referring strictly to the show. It’s just, “you did this thing wrong and here’s why, try to catch yourself if you accidentally do it again in the future, whether in what you’re working on now or otherwise.”

(He’s also talked about “unsolicited critique” before and I don’t know what that means? Like, dude, this isn’t someone’s fanfiction where I’d actually agree that you can’t go after them for their work. This is professional work.)

Anyway, remember “Chameleon”? When everyone saw the trailer and absolutely flipped out over it, then there were people who were like, “Wait for the full episode!!”?

Guess what? The full episode came out and people were either just as mad or even madder than before.

Astruc wants to have his cake and eat it to. He wants to say that his episodes are “stand-alone,” and that the order isn’t that important, but when people start pointing out issues, it becomes, “No! You have to wait for the rest of the episodes to come out!” and when people do that, it’s gonna be like, “Well, we already did the whole show so it’s not like I can change anything. *shrug*”

Also, just blaming it on “the industry” when everything else has been exhausted:

(He’s literally brought up before that the New York special was meant to have subplots about other characters, so it’s not like he can never say anything when something didn’t fit the “original vision”; I’m not asking him to get on his knees and say he’s sorry - plus, I do recognize that a lot of influence comes from the industry and people like Jeremy - but I expect a little more than the “whoops” he gave when people pointed out that “Weredad” contradicted his statement on Miraculous Ladybug.)

I think the reason people see it the way they do is because of Fu’s line in “Robostus” seems to imply the exact opposite thing happening.

Master Fu: Universe must always stay in balance. For every action, there is a reaction. For every wish, a price to pay in return. Had your robotic friend asked to become a real boy, someone would have lost his humanity in return.

New Asks:

Marigami is acceptable. I’m not crazy about it but it’s likable enough.

Lukadrien though... no, absolutely not. On a conceptual level, because it’s such a slap in the face for Marinette, and on a fanon level, because most of the jokes around it is Luka going to Marinette like he’s about to ask her out and then just asks for Adrien’s details. It’s just... ugh. I hate it (throwing Marinette into the ship still doesn’t help for me though because I’m not into the love square).

Bi erasure is my least favorite thing.

And yeah, it’s like--they set the love square ship(s?) out onto the water, then the Lukanette ship later with the plan to either sink it or just kinda... return it to the harbor if they don’t make a huge fuss about it?

Meanwhile, the love square ship has been in piece this whole time, and instead of letting it sink, they put it on a raft to keep it floating.

Depends.

In LadyBugOut? It’s already written and I haven’t posted it.

For canon? Like, Marinette being super disappointed at her view of Adrien being shattered or? :P

That’s accurate. I dislike about a fourth-ish of Season 1,then about half-ish of Season 2, then like... almost all of Season 3.

So we’ll just have to see what happens in Season 4.

I like Adrimi, but I’m not crazy about it and I don’t really write for it unless Lukanette is already the main ship (making Adrimi just a background ship). Adrien tends to dismiss Kagami a lot (like in “Frozer” and then “Miracle Queen” with him not committing) and I don’t want to see Kagami hurting like that (I agree with the anon completely that Adrien is more at fault than she is). They’re both emotionally-stunted so I usually have them wait it out or something to have them get together.

My ideal endgame is Lukanette while Adrimi is more like “let’s wait, let’s work on ourselves (especially Adrien; Kagami at least has on firm crush and wants to commit to it), and we’ll see where we go down the line.”

I don’t know if they really have the guts to arrest Gabriel. I also think that Lila might pick up the butterfly at the end of Season 5 or something after she’s been “dealt with.”

Chloe also is the mayor’s daughter so even if the law was that strict on teens, nothing would happen to her unless Andre got replaced.

Big yikes.

Maybe that the thing forcing Marinette away from Adrien and causing things to go wrong is the part of the curse trying to prevent the ladybug and cat miraculous from coming together?

So, close enough to be attracted and want to work together, but forcing the ladybug away from the cat to prevent the miraculouses from being used to make a wish?

I CHOKED ON MY DRINK.

ugh

ugh

ugggggggh

I’m 100% sure that Marinette wouldn’t be as uncomfortable around Adrien if Alya hadn’t constantly intervened. She’s the enabler of both Marinette’s anxiety and her crush on Adrien.

I went back and looked at the scene and it does kinda look like it, yes, because it basically goes from the intersection Marinette is in to another intersection that looks very, extremely similar and I don’t see Marinette in that intersection.

It was just a really, really bad transition. I remember being thrown off for a second too so I don’t blame you, anon.

I think Bob Roth’s intent was to scare Marinette away from showing that proof? He probably knows very well that Marinette has all the evidence she needs to make a case and already had a story planned for the press about how “the young talents they found didn’t measure up and the people deserved better.”

He just needed enough pressure on them for them to believe that he had enough authority to silence them.

And then Silencer tried to silence him instead. :3

I don’t think Marinette’s relationship with her parents would change too much. Like, they already let her just go out whenever she wants which obviously Plagg approves off, although Marinette might become more numb to the idea of being grounded because Plagg just teaches her, “hey lol Ladybug isn’t grounded tho,” so Marinette sneaks out all the time.

Yeah, Tikki would probably justify Gabriel’s behavior, and she wouldn’t really be able to get on his case for flirting as Mister Bug because she’s not aware of it.

lol it helps no one to have Tikki I guess.

Adrien overall and then honorable mention to Alya for Winny’s comment about her being Marinette’s conscience (which is probably why they almost never nail Alya for stuff she does).

KHNJFDNGFD THE LUKANETTE QUEEN MONIKER RETURNS >///<

And ugh, the absolute level of bias in that. Even if the video was made in, like, Season 2 (don’t know, didn’t see it), Season 2 still gives examples of why Adrienette isn’t making Marinette happy at all (and has some of the love square failings too).

The name and the fact that they gave it that name tells me everything I need to know.

Goodness gracious.

Yeah, people can talk about character’s flaws. I mean, we talk a lot here about Marinette’s struggles in getting over Adrien (partly brought on by a lot of outside factors but still).

Also, sure, Luka is a “pushover” because he’s one of the few characters who understands Marinette’s tunnel vision and isn’t bothered by it, okay. :P (Interesting that the topic of Chat’s entitlement towards Ladybug but Luka respecting her choices and just enjoying being around her makes him her punching bag).

Every time I hear, “Adrien needs more spotlight!!!” I lose a part of my soul. How people can’t see that Marinette is the show’s true punching bag is beyond me.

[familyagrestefanblog]

Mini Theory to injured Hawkmoth after Mayura used an Amok on him in “Mayura” + How Chat Noirs Cataclysm works

I finally had a little time off again and managed to get this mini theory done. I wanted to do this for a while now and I'm happy to finally post something again. ^^

Now with Season 3 over and a couple of Mayuras “featherruptions” (as I like to call them) on screen I wanted to pick up this occurrence from the second season finale once more. In s3, after accepting the featherruption, every victim always stayed healthy whereas Hawkmoth in s2 became increasingly weak and hurt. I want to elaborate on this again and state my Mini theory and my reasons.

Some people might already know this theory because I already posted it on this post a while ago. I’m kinda reposting it again because I updated it and I think it’s a bit wasted at the end of another theory.

So here it is again and lets go!

Before “Miraculer” came out I thought people getting hurt by the featherruption would be the normal effect because of the peacocks brokenness. So the victims would get hurt alongside Mayura for at least s3 (cuz before his featherruption Gabriel was completely fine and fighting) but no, every other victim is perfectly fine. Only HAWKMOTH got seriously hurt!

This means that there is a distinct difference between Hawkmoths featherruption and everyone elses. A difference that normally wouldnt be the case. And I think I got it.

The one detail that DEFINITELY is different with Hawkmoth and big enough to be relevant is that Hawkmoths control-object was CATACLYSMED!

To understand why I think the control-object being cataclysmed beforehand would have such an effect I need to clearify that even though I’m often saying that Hawkmoth and Mayura “corrupt” their butterflies, feathers and the victims, its frankly nowhere true at all. I just like saying it like that. What they do is basically just filling the butterflies/feathers with power and let them find a fitting person so they can 1. build the connection between them and the chosen and 2. then manipulate the chosen people so they join them. There is no corruption going on here. Neither do they break or control either the butterflies/feathers nor the people themselves. They power up and manipulate, thats what they do.

The cats power of destruction on the other hand is a whole different story here.

To explain my point in an easier fashion I’ll start with Ladybugs power as a direct contrast to Chat Noirs.

The Ladybug is capable of purifying the akumas and the feathers. “Purifying” IS the right word to use here because something doesnt have to be explicitly “corrupted” to be purified. As I said, Hawkmoth and Mayura power up, that means even if they dont corrupt them they still change the nature of the feather/butterfly and victims and that is what the Ladybug reverses.

So Ladybugs purifying (and the Miraculous Ladybug for that matter) is basically her taking back all the changes other people did to something. Thats whats happening every episode up to “Miracle Queen” and thats why shes once more the one dealing with the feathers. She reverses what has been changed, no other power does that.

The Cat and the Ladybug are equals and since they are also Yin and Yang for each other it also means that not only do they as individuals and the nature of their miraculouses complete each other, their powers too complete the circle.

So if Ladybug can purify (again, meaning that she reverses every damage and everything that other people do to something) the Cat should be able to corrupt everything with his destruction as her direct opposite.

To keep this paragraph shorter lets just explain this with the example from the Heros day.

The Cats destruction and “corruption” is showing itself here with something Chat Noir is doing all the time but on a grander scale: He isnt completely pulverizing the cane to dust, hes damaging and weakening it to the point were it cant be used for neither its original purposes nor properly for anything else anymore and is easily breakable.

In my theory when Chat Noir uses Cataclysm on the cane he not only does the above, he also inflicts the still existing object with some kind of…lets call it a virus.

Now you may ask yourself “Why? Why should Chat Noirs cataclysm destroy something so hard that it loses basically every usage it had + infecting it with an destructive virus but NOT actually destroying it out of existence?”

And frankly, Thomas Astruc already gave an explanation for this after “Reflectdoll” because people were confused by the effect Ladynoires cataclysm had but instead of believing the CREATOR people rather just shrugged off the explanation as nonsense. Again.

If I remember correctly (and please correct me if I’m wrong) it only happened one other time that the cataclysmed object didn’t turn discolored and destroyed after being hit. That being the bus in “Animan”.

But even this can easily be explained with Thomas’ answer.

Because also another answer for the episode “Reflectdoll” was this reply to the question why the lucky charm gave Mr Bug what he wanted when this never happens with Marinette.

Meaning the power of creation adapts to its wearers mindset and when this is the case for Creation I see no reason why Destruction should be any different.

MEANING the bus didn’t turn discolored and destroyed (only lost its original usages) because Adrien was very much aware that it still had to function as a cage (normally the cataclysmed objects serve no further purpose), so the destruction/corruption only spread so far as its wearer pictured it.

With Hawkmoths cane on the other hand you can bet good money that Adrien INTENDED on fucking that cane up. I mean LOOK at him

Yeah no, that cane just became victim of Adriens hatred for Hawkmoth. RIP Cane.

So the default of Cataclysm isnt “destroying it out of existence” because that is not what “Destruction” is. That is “Annihilation”. Destruction and annihilation are two very different concepts that shouldnt be mixed up but everybody is doing it because of how we use the word “destruction/destroy” in our daily vocabulary. That is why probably almost every one of us at least once asked themselves why Chats cataclysm is portrayed so “oddly” in the show. “He’s not really destroying it, hes just fucking it up!” And thats exactly what hes doing because thats exactly what his power is. He’s destroying it so fucking hard that the cataclysmed object could lose every usage it could possibly have (the usages verify with different objects of course)

He’s not messing with it like Roi Singe either, the object could turn completely fucking worthless. 100%. Even the very MATERIAL its made of! But what hes NOT doing is taking it out of existence because THAT is Annihiliation. Not the concept of his power.

Now working with the actual “destruction” concept the destructive “virus” in the destroyed object seems alot more plausible. Because when Chat Noir uses the power of pure destruction on something, really every usage it could possibly have should be able to be affected by it depending on how much Chat Noir wants to screw the object over (and we already covered that Adrien wanted to see that cane dead which I completely understand, Gabriel beat him up with it in “Chat Blanc” so yeah, screw that cane) and THAT also includes the possibility of it being used as a long distance object for Akumatizations or featherruptions for example.

Without the “Virus” Hawkmoths cane would still have had a consequence free use but WITH the “virus” spreading through it the featherruption got corrupted by Chats destruction and hurt and weakened Hawkmoth so much that a limping Gabriel collapsed still nearby and had to detransform out of exhaustion.

And frankly, Mayura only powered up the cane for a really short amount of time. Imagine how Gabriel would have ended up if this had gone longer. He probably wouldnt have been able to recover so quickly afterwards.

[galahadwilder]

Okay I’m a bit curious now. If you had the opportunity to rewrite the ML show, how would you do it and what would you do?

So I got this ask a little over a month ago, right before I had my mental breakdown when Loveater/Hearthunter came out. Given how angry I was at the time, and how irrational I was acting, I didn’t trust myself to answer this question objectively. I think I do now.

The hardest moment in this show for me to reconcile is the moment in Reverser where Nathaniel tore Marc’s notebook in half, and then was never shown apologizing for it. That moment is, I believe, indicative of a larger problem with the writing of this show. If I were to write it, here are some of the things I would change.

1: Hire Female Writers. And also more Chinese and Biracial ones.

This is a show with a female biracial main character of Chinese descent, and all of their female writers vanished after Season 1. Which is exactly when a significant chunk of the old fandom began to have complaints about the show. As far as I can tell, they never even had any Chinese writers to begin with. Honestly this should be a no-brainer.

2: Stop visiting disproportionate retribution on Marinette, and stop punishing her for doing the right thing.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng is fairly unambiguously implied throughout the show to have some kind of anxiety disorder, which is, I think, a brilliant piece of writing. It nearly explains her primary character flaws—those being her impulsivety and her tendency to overthink, while also being shown in positive aspects as her quick-thinking and resolve. However, whenever Marinette makes a mistake, the narrative goes out of its way to treat her like a monster, and even when it’s someone else’s mistake, she is the one expected to apologize and “be the bigger person.” (In fact, she’s expected to be the “biggest person” in the show, which, given that there are adults around, is kind of a horrifying message to send.) Whenever anyone attacks her, even if that person is Lila, or worse, her own friends, she is expected to just roll over and is punished for standing up for herself. That may be how the real world works sometimes, but as Astruc is so fond of reiterating, this is a kids’ show. This is not a good message to send.

Additionally, the show continually treats Marinette’s anxiety as a subject of derision instead of treating it with sympathy. Marinette is continually mocked by the narrative for maladaptive thinking that is out of her control. The writing is, in a roundabout way, mocking a significant fraction of its own fanbase.

So step two is to stop punishing Marinette for doing the right thing, and let her occasionally be shown to be in the right.

3: Let Adrien grow.

Adrien is a good and kind person in an extremely shitty situation, and as a result has ended up picking up a number of unintentionally abusive behaviors from literally every other person in his life, as well as some extremely harmful coping mechanisms. This is, once again, a brilliant premise for a character that I feel has been entirely wasted. Adrien’s character is static; he never gets called out on his harmful behavior, and thus doesn’t realize it’s harming anyone simply because he doesn’t know how to tell. The narrative refuses to confront him with the consequences of his actions; in fact, it continually rewards him for being the perfect victim, the perfect abuse target. Giving Adrien someone in his life who can teach him better behaviors and coping mechanisms would go a long way to resolving my issues with this show, especially because it would make him more supportive toward Marinette.

4: Let Fu be wrong.

In a twist of the typical “wise old master” trope, Wang Fu is presented as a traumatized and paranoid orphan/war veteran, whose decisions aren’t necessarily based on rational forethought, but on paranoia. Many of his decisions are not the best ones available, simply the best that he knows how to make. The problem is that most of this is subtext: in the text, Fu is presented as a man of endless wisdom and his rules inviolate, even when they do more harm than good. The narrative frequently shows how wrong he is, but I’m not completely sure the writers are actually aware of that, because once again that’s only in subtext. If he’d been shown learning lessons or being like “I misjudged the situation” and changing his mind or even just changing his reasoning but keeping the same decisions, that might make a huge difference. Make his fear a key point in some of his dumber decisions, and now instead of an out-of-touch old man who makes terrible decisions just because, you’ve got a rounded character who can actually be part of the story.

5: Caline Bustier.

Most of the adults in this show are not particularly competent, and in most cases—André Bourgeois, Principal Damocles, Roger Raincomprix—they’re explicitly STATED to be incompetent, or just… generally not entirely there. The only competent non-evil adults in the show are Marinette’s parents and Nadja Chamack.

Which brings us to Caline Bustier. She’s supposed to be—and unlike the others, is presented as—a kind, warm, nurturing, and supportive presence in Marinette’s life; instead she punishes Marinette (and, in Origins, Ivan) for being bullied and lets the bullies get away scot free. She reinforces Adrien’s worst behavior, punishes Marinette for standing up for herself and her classmates, and rewards bullies, and is always presented as being in the right, almost saintly… in fact, she’s presented as the Madonna in a Madonna-Wh*re complex.*

Yes, I went there.

If we look at the writing of the non-evil adults, it’s got all the hallmarks of sexism. All of the men except Tom are dumb and/or under the thumb of powerful, “shrewish” female figures. Meanwhile, among the non-evil adult women (of which there are few) we have Sabine (excellent), the harsh and unforgiving spinster-archetype Madame Mendeleiev, and the kind and saintly Caline Bustier. Both of them are dehumanized and treated more like props than like people.

So my thing there would be: make at least one competent male authority figure, and—since Madame Bustier is such an important figure in Adrien and Marinette’s lives—stop letting her reward bullying and instead have her be the person who helps both of them grow and be comfortable in themselves. Have her teach Adrien to stand up for himself, have her show Marinette it’s okay to be angry, to be emotional, to make mistakes. And, most importantly, round her out a little. Show her making mistakes occasionally too—but if she leads by example, she could admit to them and correct them.

6: Better friend interactions

Let’s face it: the friendship we see in the show isn’t particularly healthy, while the friendship in the Instagram accounts is quite a bit better. Let’s see some Alya and Nino being more supportive of their friends instead of pushing them into things they’re not ready for.

* Censored because tumblr, not because I think it’s a bad word. This website is stupid.