#Cat! Master Fu

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

IOTA Reviews: Ladybug and Cat Noir: The Movie

Once again, I'd just like to apologize for the lack of activity the past few months. The holidays have kept me busy, especially at work, and I've officially decided to go back to school next month. Don't get me wrong, one of my new year's resolutions is to at least try getting back to consistently working on this blog, which is one of the reasons why I'm going to tackle She-Ra in the future. Either way, I'd like to thank you for supporting me this past year even though I haven't been as active as I should be.

When I heard Miraculous Ladybug was getting a movie, I didn't really pay too much attention to the news due to all of the side projects that have been canceled left and right, but then I saw the trailer. It looked decent, and while I had issues with the animation, I was willing to give it a shot since Astruc wasn't on the writing team. Then the movie came out, and while it got mixed reviews, this was how a lot of people in the fandom saw it after suffering through Season 5.

Yeah, a lot of fans hold this movie in high regard. It's nothing as groundbreaking as other animated films that came out the same year like Across the Spider-Verse and Nimona, but for a Miraculous Ladybug project, it turned out pretty well. That is, except for the brief schism it caused in the fandom. While it's mostly subsided, when the movie came out, there was a debate on which handled the story better, the movie or the show. As always, fandom arguments tend to get complicated, and things only got worse when Thomas Astruc himself decided to throw his hat in the ring by claiming that the show he worked on was better.

Yes, even though fans enjoy a movie based on his characters, because he isn't the one who made it, Astruc thinks his version is better. Just remember, he tweeted this about a month after “Derision” premiered. I feel like that speaks for itself.

Thankfully, the argument has died down for the most part, though there's still discussions on which is the better version. Before I really get into the movie, I just want to remind everyone reading this that my opinion shouldn't be taken as fact. I am not the authority on what people should like, and I don't want anyone to use my review as an excuse to bully other people online for having a different opinion on the movie. While I've made jokes about the show's decline in quality, the show and movie both have their own strengths and weaknesses, and we should be able to discuss them.

With all that out of the way, let's get into Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie

Just to be clear, I'm not going to tackle this like my usual reviews. Instead, I'm going to break this review into three sections: what I liked, what I didn't like, and what I'm mixed on.

Things I liked

For one thing, the characterization is pulled off very well. None of the characters are really as annoying or incompetent like they were in the show's later seasons. Part of what I think makes it work is that there's more focus on character arcs that have to be completed by the end of the film. Marinette has to learn to step up as a hero, Adrien has to learn humility while dealing with the loss of his mother, and Gabriel struggles to resist the allure of villainy.

Marinette's anxiety is more pronounced in this movie, especially since in this continuity, Chloe is just starting to harass her, so she's not used to this kind of treatment. While Chloe is a minor antagonist in the civilian plotline, the biggest threat to Marinette when she's not Ladybug is her own self-doubt. Her status as an outcast is used to add to Marinette's lack of confidence in herself. The whole reason she even meets Adrien here is because she tried to hide from Chloe in the library, and she was too nervous to really speak up to Adrien. Hell, the first time she transforms into Ladybug, it's only because Tikki forced her to transform.

I like how Marinette's insecurities transition into her origin as Ladybug, where she's put in a situation where she has to take charge and be more confident. She still gets frustrated with her situation and her new partner's ego (more on that in a minute), but she struggles to really get her head in the game at first compared to how things were in “Origins”. It makes her development into the confident hero we're all familiar with feel more natural, as the climax of the movie shows her fully asserting herself as the protector of Paris and a beacon of hope for those to look up to.

Adrien is also handled very well here. As much as I liked “Origins”, I have to admit it didn't really do much with him as a character. With the exception of wasting his first Cataclysm, he just goes about the two-parter like it's another day at the office for him. That's why I'm a huge fan of the movie actually giving him stuff to do. Unlike the show, his arrogance is shown in a more negative light and is shown to be a major character flaw he needs to overcome. Nobody tries to excuse or deny his actions, and he learns how to become a better person.

This is what makes his dynamic with Ladybug so interesting. For their first battle together, he's overconfident and assumes that he's the leader, even though he's just as new at this as Ladybug is. The two trade insults and bicker while fighting their Akuma and even when they meet Master Fu afterwards. While Cat Noir does fall for Ladybug, Marinette still isn't open to it, not because she loves someone else, but more because she finds him to be unbelievably annoying. She doesn't really hate him the same way she does Chloe. It's more like that one coworker you can't stand but have to tolerate regardless.

Both Ladybug and Cat Noir help the other improve as they gain each other's respect. Ladybug gains more confidence in order to keep Cat Noir from bossing her around, while Cat Noir becomes more humble to become a better hero. Eventually, Cat Noir reverses his position and assumes he's the sidekick, only for Ladybug to deny that claim and declare that the two are partners. This statement also reflects how both of them are responsible for saving the day in the end. While Adrien ultimately reaches through to his father, Ladybug saves Adrien and repairs the damage caused by Hawkmoth. Both played a role that was instrumental in the climax, and neither one feels ignored by the narrative.

Another character who really got a much needed revamp is Chloe. Yes, she's still Marinette's primary bully, but it's more downplayed than in later seasons. She stays a challenge exclusive to Marinette's civilian life instead of trying to be a challenge to Ladybug. The closest thing she does to opposing the heroes is kick Cat Noir off a runaway Ferris wheel out of fear, and even then, she gets her comeuppance through Ladybug throwing her in a dumpster while saving her. Chloe is also much smarter than in canon, being able to read the room to mask her emotions and maintain her image or to prey on someone's insecurities if they get in her way. Don't get me wrong, she's still a source of comic relief, but the movie treats her slightly more seriously than canon does.

Speaking of comic relief, here's something that I think made this Chloe better than the one seen in the show: The jokes were actually funny. Yeah, it's not laugh out loud, but I like how rather than make jokes about how immature and stupid Chloe is, her jokes are focused more on her own ego and self-image. Well, that, and wanting to kick Marinette's ass. I'm not making this up. Chloe in this movie threatens Marinette several times, and it's honestly amazing.

She unironically put the fear of God in Marinette's eyes in her first scene alone.

I also like how they handle her role as a love rival to Marinette. Unlike the show, Chloe and Adrien never interact, and it's implied that this continuity won't use the childhood friends element introduced in Season 2. It's a good way to show the difference between her and Marinette, how for all her boasting, Chloe doesn't know Adrien the way Marinette gets to know him.

Gabriel is easily the best part of the movie. This version is more fleshed out compared to the show. Rather than flip-flop between sympathetic and pure evil, the movie leans more on the sympathetic side for Gabriel's character. His very first scene shows the grief he's going through while thinking about Emilie, and Keith Silverstein gets to show off more emotions than just over the top sociopathy. You understand why he chooses to become a supervillain, but you want to see him get better, making for a very somber character. I especially love the delivery of the line where he finally gives in and transforms for the first time.

Gabriel: If chaos is the way, I will burn the world and lose myself in the flames to do so!

That line has no right to go as hard as it does.

We see him descend more into villainy as his appearance becomes more disheveled. Despite claiming to care for his son, the Gabriel and Adrien don't interact until the 70-minute mark. By the time the two do talk, Gabriel looks like a mess compared to how he looked at the beginning.

I really like this writing decision, as it highlights the distant relationship between the two, and how being Hawkmoth has only made things worse for Gabriel. Seeing Gabriel finally realize how unhealthy his coping mechanisms have been when he learns Adrien is Cat Noir is a satisfying scene, as it feels like a natural way to put an end to his arc. Compared to canon where he wins and never really feels bad for what he did, this version of Gabriel is far more remorseful at the sight of his son battered and bruised and breaks down sobbing. Remember, this was the version Astruc said we “wanted” and not the one we “needed”.

As for the Miraculous, things were changed to better fit the story, and I like most of what they did. I like how there's more focus on the teamwork between Ladybug and Cat Noir. Their Miraculous don't just grant a wish when used together. They literally become stronger when the two work together, and it makes a lot of sense. I like how the teamwork aspect is rewarded in-universe, because it shows how the heroes can do more than create and destroy stuff. I also think the addition of a call function on their Miraculous makes perfect sense, and clears up a ton of potential communication errors.

The fight scenes are also pretty creative. There's a lot of focus on using the environment to fight the Akumas. The very first fight has Ladybug and Cat Noir defeat the Akuma by letting a train hit it, and the second major fight involves a Ferris wheel going out of control. This leads to more varied action and well choreographed fight scenes. I especially like how with the exception of the Mime (and a brief reference to the Bubbler and Guitar Villain), all of the Akumas are brand-new, so older fans don't know what to expect with these guys.

This level of action also extends to the climax. Hawkmoth uses an Akuma on himself, sending out a massive flock of butterflies. You'd think it'd be like this movie's take on “Heroes' Day”, right? Nope! Instead, the Akumas become tiny attack drones that swarm over Paris like the eight plague of Egypt. I don't know how the animators managed to make an army of purple butterflies menacing, but by God, they did it.

Speaking of animators, my thoughts on the animation have changed drastically. While I still have minor gripes with the character design, I still love how the city of Paris is brought to life, making it seem more populated than in the show. I never really held the limited amount of civilians against the animators in the show, but I'm so happy we can see this show's environment on a cinematic budget. The animation is another reason why I think the action works so well in this movie.

Things I didn't like

When it comes to the changes to the Miraculous, one thing I'm not a fan of is Ladybug not getting her Lucky Charm. It misses the point of her having the power of creation. Yeah, she still has the spotted vision thing she had in the show, but it takes away what made the way she defeats Akumas interesting. She doesn't just beat them into submission. Sometimes, she outsmarts them or reasons with them, and part of the fun with the Lucky Charm is seeing just how she'll use something like a coat hanger or an old football trophy to defeat them.

I also don't like this movie's take on the Butterfly Miraculous. The very first scene has Master Fu build it up as an evil artifact capable of turning people into monsters. Remember, “Origins” established the Butterfly as something capable of creating superheroes, a power Gabriel twisted to create villains instead. Hell, I hate this rule, but the Paris Special made it clear that Miraculous can be used for good or evil, and it all depends on how the power is used. In other words, Miraculous don't kill people, people kill people. Bottom line, I prefer the idea of the Butterfly being the same as the other Miraculous, with the user and intent making it evil.

The one character who I felt the movie absolutely misrepresented was Plagg. This version of the character has none of the heart he had in the show. Yes, Plagg was crass there too, but he had just as many scenes showing how he cared for Adrien like a little brother or a nephew. He was Adrien's primary confidant and wanted to help him however he could. Even bad Plagg-centric episodes like “Kuro Neko” or “The Kwamis' Choice” made it clear he wants what's best for Adrien and is capable of coming up with plans if they'll help him.

Here, Plagg is mostly just there to make snide comments and fart a lot. Say what you will about the show, but at least it didn't make Plagg farting into a running gag. Plagg only gets a handful of lines in the entire movie, to the point where even Tom has more lines than he does. Tikki gets plenty of scenes with Marinette and an entire song, while Plagg feels like an afterthought.

Things I'm mixed on

This might be a little controversial, but I have mixed feelings on the portrayal of the Love Square as a whole in this movie. Don't get me wrong, the Ladynoir scenes are great, but there's not as many Adrienette, Ladrien, or Marichat scenes. In fact, I don't think there were any Ladrien or Marichat scenes in this movie, which is weird. I can at least excuse those, but it's weird how little Adrienette scenes there are. Not counting the masks, they only have four major scenes together before the end, and one of those is a deleted scene that had the dialogue cut over a montage.

While I'm glad the entire movie wasn't about the Love Square drama, the romance between Marinette and Adrien specifically feels a little rushed. I think it would have benefited the movie to have ten or fifteen more minutes to flesh out this subplot a little instead of only focusing on Ladynoir.

I'm also unsure what to say about the songs. Most of them are pretty catchy and have great visuals, but the dissonance between the singing voices of Marinette and Adrien throws me off. I don't get why neither actor for the French or English dub was asked to sing. For some reason, Tikki and Gabriel's voice actors got to sing, but not Marinette and Adrien. At the very least, Drew Ryan Scott's singing voice sort of sounds like Adrien, but Lou's singing voice makes Marinette sound twice her age. Don't get me wrong, I still liked the songs, but this choice was very jarring to me.

And now, because literally nobody asked for it, here's every song in the movie ranked.

8. If I Believed in Me

A very dull “I want” song that's just Marinette wandering around Paris on the way to school. Compared to “Little Town” from Beauty and the Beast, where you can easily follow Belle and understand how she goes about her day, it's not clear what kind of route Marinette is taking. Even the lyrics are pretty bland, just talking about wanting to follow her dreams and be more confident. The issue is that her dreams of being a fashion designer barely factor into the plot, and she only becomes more confident thanks to being a superhero, something she didn't dream of. The only real dud in the soundtrack.

7. Opening Remix

Not much to say here. It's a remix of the opening theme with the new singers. It sounds nice.

6. Reaching Out

This is a much better song than “If I Believed in Me”. It does a great job expressing Marinette's doubt and how she feels pressured to be somebody she's not. Great way to follow up on her heart getting broken by Adrien.

5. My Lady

This one's a quickie, but it's still fun. I love the visuals in this one and how it gradually crescendos, reflecting the new feelings Cat Noir has for Ladybug developing.

4. Stronger Together

Surprisingly, Ladybug and Cat Noir's only duet in the movie, but it's still really good. I love the use of the set in the theater Cat Noir took Ladybug to at the beginning before they run around Paris. The lyrics do a great job showing how far the two's relationship has come, making it clear how close they are, only for reality to metaphorically kick them out of the sky.

3. You Are Ladybug

Another duet, this time between Marinette and Tikki. While I still think Cristina Vee should have gotten to sing this one song given her chemistry with Mela Lee, Lou still does a great job expressing her anxiety. The back and forth between Tikki and Marinette makes this a blast to watch, especially with it using the same music as the theme song. Even the rap part with Tikki was fun to watch. I especially love the part where Tikki excitedly tells Marinette about how dangerous the job is and how close she'll come to getting killed.

2. Chaos Will Reign Today

The villain song in this movie had no right to be as good as it is. The visuals are eerie and fit the more menacing tone of the song. Keith Silverstein gives his all to make up for his crime of singing the Hawkmoth Rap. It's also a hell of a lot better than the villain song Disney had to offer that year.

1. Courage in Me

Easily my favorite song in the movie. The visuals of Marinette struggling to hop across these black spots symbolizing her yo-yo before her transformation into Ladybug is awe-inspiring. The lyrics are a great way to solidify Marinette embracing her role as Ladybug, and it's such a triumphant song to listen to.

Other things I noticed

During the first Akuma fight, Ladybug and Cat Noir pass by some guys with stereotypical French accents while almost every other character speaks like they're in America.

Careless Whisper plays one time in Cat Noir's mind as he develops feelings for Ladybug. The fact that he listens to it after getting his heart broken has to be one of the most subtle jokes I've ever seen in this franchise. Of course, it's clear what the best superhero cover of Careless Whisper really is.

Cat Noir says he has the power of destruction in his introduction while being impressed when Master Fu says the same thing.

There's a Volkswagon tie-in that actually features the two heroes promoting some cars in-universe. This is a real shot from the movie.

I think Chloe ships Alyanette, judging from this exchange:

Marinette: Seriously, Alya, you think Adrien would say yes?

Alya: Of course! I'm gonna ask Nino.

Chloe: I think you should go together, 'cause Adrien is coming with me, not with some baker girl.

I don't think Ladybug ever learned Cat Noir could play the piano, so seeing Cat Noir try to woo her with a little piano number is a nice inclusion.

When Cat Noir's mask is destroyed in the final battle, his exposed eye is still green. Was this where the chibi shorts got the idea from?

Other people have pointed this out, but the picture of Adrien as a kid is traced from a character from The Boss Baby. That's an automatic ten point deduction for making me remember that movie exists.

The post-credits scene with Nathalie was weird.

Did Master Fu not know he lost the Peacock Miraculous too?

Why isn't Emilie in any form of suspended animation?

Is the Peacock still damaged?

Did the Peacock still kill her/send her into a coma?

Was Adrien still created by the Peacock?

Why didn't Gabriel use the Peacock or at least consider it?

Did Gabriel forget to tell anyone about the other Miraculous he has after turning himself in?

Why did Gabriel choose to tell Nathalie when she didn't seem to help him while he was still Hawkmoth?

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was a really good movie, and a fresh take on the show's universe. I had issues with it, but I still think this movie series has promise. The animation was great, the songs were catchy, and the characterization was on point for the most part. It even manages to be a better musical than the ones big names like Disney and Warner Bros have made in the past two years. It's one of the best things to come out of the franchise, no question. I wouldn't mind future installments set in this continuity over whatever Season 6 churns out.

[ijustliketoreadstuff]

Lets talk about Gabriel's club.

Gabriel being part of a club where all his closest "friends" meet, may not seem odd, even viewers didn't think too much of it at first when some of the members came together for a party at the Agreste mansion back in "Gabriel Agreste". But the more we learn about what this club does behind closed doors, the more it feels like its no ordinary club for members to mingle and party.

The club not only has a great deal of security to keep non-members out, but it is even ensured that the members themselves are unable to release any information over what goes on in any event, regardless of who they are. Their clubs activities are kept under so much security and secrecy that it is even mandatory for the members to provide a fingerprint scan, wear masks and even relinquish their phones, along with their kids phones, before any event begins, and to make sure that no one can listen in, let alone get any glimpse as to what goes on inside, the entire facility is placed on lockdown, doors and windows all boarded up and locked. Any other person who would normally just be catering for an event, would be instructed to have no contact with any other members except Gabriel, all the while an added scrambler is activated to stop any technology from making its way through.

Aside from Tomoe and Gabriel, some of the other members of the club include Bob Roth, Andre, Audrey, Amelie, Prince Ali and his assistant Soraya, all of whom are business people, politicians and even members of royal families. The royal family in London that invited Gabriel and Tomoe to a wedding are likely also members of the club. It's no surprise Gabriel and Tomoe have such strong connections both in Paris and around the world, all of whom hold them in high enough regard to invite them to even the most private of events, like the royal wedding in London ("Backwarder")as well as prince Ali's birthday("Lies"), all very exclusive events.

Now, societal parties like the "Diamonds dance" might have been common enough for even Zoe to have regularly experienced them while living in New York, but knowing that Gabriel and Tomoe are involved in these kinds of parties, raises question if the activities surrounding their club may actually hold some ulterior motive for them and the members. Such a club would not only serve as a good space to interact with high society members who are normally scattered around the world, but it would also serve to invite and interact with any potential new members that have become wealthy over time.

Gabriel alone was not always the world famous fashion designer he is now, he used to be a struggling designer who lived in a studio apartment, before Audrey discovered him and gave him his big break in the fashion industry. Such gatherings for members of a high society would have been a good place for Gabriel to meet someone like Tomoe, who despite having no relation to the fashion industry like he did, would have met him nonetheless at something as simple and inconspicuous as a party. 

Because Gabriel was desperate to save Emelie from the effects of the broken peacock miraculous over the years, long before he committed to a life of villainy as Hawkmoth, involving others who had the potential to help him in his goals was definitely not above considering the more he spiraled into his desperation and position of power in the world. He already had Nathalie, who was an expert at finding relics and was the one who helped the Agreste family find both the peacock and butterfly miraculous, he even recruited someone as young as Lila back in "Oni-chan" to act as his spy into Adrien's life and help separate him from Marinette, all with the promise of being a model. If he recruited them, he might have already attempted to recruit others in the past from all sorts of places, especially societal parties, the more he realized he could not do certain things with his power and influence alone. Tomoe was one such person.

("Passion," "Multiplication", "Oni-chan")

When Gabriel first set out to obtain the ladybug and cat miraculous as Hawkmoth, it was assumed that his plans to use the jewels' wish granting abilities, were entirely his own. However, in "Multiplication", the show revealed that Tomoe was always aware of Gabriel's identity as Hawkmoth and was even involved in his plans from the very beginning. All the advanced technology that Gabriel used, from the weaponized security system in his lair("Robostus"), the power supply in his mansion that could compete with a power station("Party Crasher"), the machine that allowed him to reconfigure the miraculous into rings ("Destruction"), Emelie's pod etc. was not built by him, it all came from Tomoe, but by no means did Tomoe give all this high tech to Gabriel out of the goodness of her heart, she gave it to him because she too had something to gain, a wish from the ladybug and cat miraculous to create a new world.

To have the power that could grant any wish would be too good of an opportunity for anyone to ignore, even Marinette and Adrien considered using the wish their jewels could grant, before learning about the consequences that came with it of course, but it was precisely this kind of power that would have made things easy for Gabriel to convince others to join him in his pursuit for the miraculous, especially Tomoe.

("Robostus", and "Passion")

(In "Intuition", Tomoe reveals her desire to create a new world through the power of the ladybug and cat miraculous wish granting abilities)

Of course, Gabriel couldn't just go around telling people about the existence of the miraculous and the wish without drawing some attention, but the club's parties alone would serve as an excellent cover for Gabriel to recruit people over the years in his desperate endeavors to obtain the miraculous and save Emelie. If Tomoe alone was helping Gabriel from the shadows without anyone ever suspecting her, who's to say there aren't other members within the club who are doing the same thing from the sidelines. We don't know a lot about the other members yet, but judging by the way their children are, the majority of them are no different than Audrey and Chloe, believing they are entitled to many things without consequences, all of whom would definitely choose to ignore the true price that revolves around being granted a wish, a price that could bring devastation onto the world and other innocent people who would suffer the consequences of their choices (cough* it's just like in real life*cough).

The club everyone assumes is just a place where rich people gather, may harbor a secret society comprised of the rich people who aim to further their power and plans, through the use of the miraculous, and right now, Gabriel and Tomoe are at the center of it all. It wouldn't be the first time a large evil party of people gathered to obtain the miraculous, after all, in "Backwarder", it was revealed that even the Nazi's knew about the miraculous and hunted down master Fu to obtain them so as to use their power for their own diabolical plans. But again, let's just wait and see what the show has to say.

[papyrusgayfont]

* here’s the second post of all the show characters and locations that are in Miraculous Awakening or whatever it’s called because i was bored (spoilers, obviously).

* Sabine Cheng

* Tom Dupain

* Gabriel Agreste

* Nathalie Sancoeur

* Denis Damocles

* Caline Bustier

* Nadja Chamack

* Emilie Agreste

* Master Fu

* Vincent

* Luka Couffaine

[bietrofastimoff23]

they may not know the dragon warrior, laugh at the god of kung fu, but no one fucks with tai lung.

either you recognize his superiority right away or he will force you to. ultimately, his name alone inspired fear in everyone, even after decades of his imprisonment in an immobile position, for a reason.

[areanoodles]

Miraculous Ladybug Rewrite

Finally posting this. My rewrite for miraculous.

Ive been working on it for a while and just adding to it slowly. So, this is what I have for it so far. I'm deciding that I'm most likely going to make a second blog for just my rewrites (I currently have two I'm working on). So there will probably be a more polished version of this if I make the second blog.

Without further ado, here is my miraculous rewrite (so far..)

-

●Marinette and adrien are still both the main protagonist

●Adrien will actually have more of a focus, if not being more of the main character than Marinette

●Adrien's vocals will be added in the theme song as backing vocals (like in the full version of the theme song)

●Chloe will have a redemption arch

●Marinette and Adrien's romance will sort of be slow burn still, but will happen a lot faster in a way. Instead of dragging it on, they’ll start off having more of a friendship/some platonic banter, and as it progresses they’ll slowly start to realize their affection for one another

●In the umbrella scene (in origins pt. 2), we know marinette develops her crush on adrien from there, but, for this rewrite, marinette may question if she truly loves adrien. She may think she has a little affection for him, but, her crush for him will only slowly develop over time

●so, from the umbrella scene, she won’t actually have a huge crush on him

●adrien will actually be the same since the umbrella scene. He’ll consider Marinette a friend at first, but as time progresses, he’ll also develop a crush on her. He may not recognize it at first when he actually has feelings for her. Marinette will be more likely to detect her feelings for Adrien once she has feelings for him

●Zoe may be given a role in the show if I can properly give her development or any type of character

●not everyone of marinette’s classmates will be given a miraculous (such as Marc, Nathaniel, Ivan, Sabrina, max, Zoe, Kim, rose(?))

●Ladybug and Cat noir will still be the main super heroes. But if they develop a group over time, they’ll have queen bee (chloe), carapace (nino), and Rena Rouge (alya)

●temporary holders that will be recruited time from time will be, viperion (luka), ryuko (kagami)(?), purple tigress (juleka)

●bunnyx will always be a miraculous holders regardless since she has to deal with the timeline and time travel and her as a holder is a lot older (before current alix gets the bunny miraculous)

●Not sure how ill do lila’s (or cerise) character, but I want to figure out what I could do with her just like Zoe

● Gabriel (hawkmoth) won’t akumatize every single day. I think it would be better if he took time to pause from doing destruction, maybe trying to improve his powers during these times he’s not akumatizing, or just doing his job as a fashion designer, or any other lore that could be explored of the agreste family. I also feel like those episodes or times where he doesn’t akumatize anyone, could also give us time to know adrien and marinette better as main characters, can give them more exploration in their civilian lives

●Since I’m most likely keeping zoe in the Rewrite, I might have something that’ll make her more interesting(?)

●Chloe and Zoe don’t know about their existence before they actually meet

●Audrey purposely never told any one of them that they had a half sister in a complete different country

●Audrey was there for chloe, then left to new york

●I guess I’d like to go with the idea Audrey cheated on Andre (since it’s not really explained much in the show)

●Audrey has zoe in New York

●I think Audrey would’ve been flipping back and forth between going to new york and Paris for both of them (while also telling zoe and Chloe that she has to leave because of work and for fashion shows)

●zoe is more cold in this rewrite ●She holds a huge grudge towards audrey for leaving her all those years (and neglecting her for when she was there)

●Zoe for the most part cares less about Audrey. She feels there’s no need to care about something that hasn’t been there for her. Chloe on the other hand is pretty similar if not the same to her season 2 counterpart. She wishes for Audrey to praise her, to acknowledge her. She grieves the mother she wished she had.

●Audrey was more in zoe’s life, but even then, was still neglected by her. Audrey barely paid any attention to her, and didn’t take any time to spend with her

●Chloe also didn’t have a parent to spend time with. Andre was always busy with something and barely took time to hangout with her.

●When chloe and Zoe do meet, they are kind of distant to each other

●Chloe holds a slight grudge towards Zoe cause she feels like she got the better end of the stick (having a mother figure with her, especially since all chloe’s ever wanted was for her mother to be there with her and acknowledge her existence)

●Though, she’s totally oblivious to how much Audrey has affected Zoe too, and that Audrey isn’t as great as much as she gives her credit for

●Zoe really left her boarding school because of the homophobia that she got

●The main reason why cockroaches were eventually put in her locker

●Master Fu dying

●Sometimes characters need to die, and maybe mater Fu being that one character during the time of the show

●I think this will really effect marinette even more than just master Fu losing his memory

●Maybe by the time Master Fu dies, the superhero group would be a thing (ladybug, cat noir, carapace, Rena Rouge, and queen bee), and it'll all greatly affect them

●this will take a toll on them, but marinette especially. The one mentor, the only mentor she had, is now gone, and she’s going through another mental spiral

●she began off in the series with no guidance, finding Master Fu, finally have some sort of guidance, now doesn’t have guidance anymore

●Maybe even the celestial guardian can be introduced this way. With Fu now dead, he presumes the miracle box is still out there, and then figures out a teenager is in possession of it

●this is obviously still close to in show canon, so its not too different

●But, instead, the miracle box isn’t passed down to marinette at all. So marinette’s put in this weird position where she has to take charge and care for the miracle box

●I do want to do something where Marinette/ladybug isn’t the only one taking care of these things, but also has adrien/cat noir to help

●I’ve also been thinking that at some point Zoe will know Chloe is queen bee (as well as the rest of the teams identities)

●Kagami will definitely know some how

-

Thats it. That's what I have so far, this is a really long post.

When I said earlier in the post that adrien will have his vocals added to the theme song, I was in the thought process of if this rewrite were to be animated.

Question marks are put near certain names because I might be unsure of my idea for them for the rewrite

If anyone would like to see more, I can definitely make another post for this rewrite. I do have some more ideas but I will be adding them on slowly

Thats all

[bad-miraculous-recaps]

S1 EP1 Ladybug & Cat Noir (Origins- Part 1)

Master Fu is 186 years old?!?!?!1

Marinette has no idea who Adrien is despite being into fashion... wild.

Alya is a totally new student to their school (I forgot about that).

Really cute good luck/bad luck dichotomy right off the bat.

[m00nb04rd5]

Can I have a moodboard for Master Tigress?

Master Tigress (Kung Fu Panda)

[ultraericthered]

What If? Re: Miraculous

In canon, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was the chosen one for the Ladybug Miraculous and its kwami, Tiki. But, suppose there had been a mix-up, and Tiki and the Miraculous she held ended up going to the wrong person? And if that person was to become Ladybug, what sort of superheroine would she be? I must ponder....What If?

Master Fu has zeroed in on Marinette to grant the Ladybug Miraculous to, but in this scenario it's at a time where she's run into Chloe Bourgeois, who is antagonizing her as usual when Fu drops the Miraculous case into Chloe's bag. Adrien Agreste, meanwhile, still ends up with Plagg and the Black Cat Miraculous. When Chloe finds the Miraculous case and Tiki comes out, she's as freaked out as you'd expect and vocalizes no desire to fulfill any expected responsibility as the chosen one to fight against the Akumas, but quickly changes her tune when Tiki describes that being Ladybug entails wearing a flashy costume and being a superhero to the public, which Chloe's mind immediately connects with glory and adulation. So she becomes Ladybug and fights the Golem alongside Cat Noir, but there's immediate friction between the two costumed crime fighters - Chloe feels Cat Noir is cutting in and trying to steal her limelight, and Cat Noir fast gives up flirting with Chloe because he's put off by her insufferable. "strangely familiar" attitude. Over the course of her exploits as Ladybug and repeated instance of helping people and making a positive difference in Paris, Chloe gradually becomes a better person, but she and Cat Noir still don't connect well together. Realizing that she's been insensitive and even hurtful to her partner this whole time, Chloe puts in an effort to change how she interacts with Cat Noir only to become indignant when he still brushes her off and doesn't start to fall in love with her, as though a subconscious part of her had been expecting a reward for her change in behavior. In retaliation, Chloe plans to incapacitate and ditch Cat Noir during their next task together so that she can prove herself stronger on her own than with him. Unsurprisingly, the plan doesn't work, but Cat Noir still feels betrayed and walks away from his partnership with Ladybug. But once he's turned back into Adrien, Hawk Moth can sense the negative emotions in him and makes the choice to Akumatize his own son, learning that he's been Cat Noir all along once inside his head. As such, Hawk Moth is able to claim Plagg's Miraculous and Akumatizes Adrien into his apprentice, Ephemeral. The father and son team go after Ladybug and overwhelm her, nearly claiming her Miraculous before Master Fu comes to her rescue. Chloe is racked with guilt over what's become of Adrien, realizing that she can't be trusted with the Ladybug Miraculous, that she was never the sort of person who should be given such responsibility and even with the growth she's had, she feels undeserving of it. So she does the best thing she can think to do: renounce Tiki. Later on we see Chloe with her friend Sabrina, apologizing for how often she's mistreated her and abused their friendship and also telling her that she'd been Ladybug this whole time but is now retiring. When Sabrina asks why she felt the need to come clean about her identity after she'd already given it up, Chloe tells her that she feels Sabrina is the sort of person who could use the confidence boost that holding a Miraculous might give her and that she'd likely grow into a more moral and more responsible superheroine than she could ever be. In enters Master Fu, who holds out the case with Tiki's Miraculous to offer Sabrina...

With her failure to be a great superheroine, Chloe realized that she didn't ever need to be a great superheroine - she just needed to be a good person, and a good friend. While there are some who would deem Chloe to be a spoiled brat beyond hope of redemption, a harsh confrontation with the consequences of her actions and a lesson in humility could change even the most rotten of souls, just as the most kind can break under the thrall of Akumatization. Her hopes are now on her dearest friend to better carry out and finish what she began.

[memesandtvshowthings]

So many emotions…

(0:33) LOVE THUNDER!

(0:39) Why do they like, toss the umbrella? So they don’t have to touch?

(0:47) Marinette laugh is so cute!

(1:00) I second Tikki!

(1:07)I also second Plagg!

(1:12) Noooooo!

(1:15) Yeah, nobody looks at their friends like that.

(1:30) Yeah, they are…

[soullessjack]

so im on s5 of miraculous and i keep thinking about cat noirs whole “kept at a distance” arc bc it’s genuinely really interesting but gets so wasted by always winding up with him basically validating ladybugs nonsensical decisions and treatment—the same treatment that we were already shown upset him enough to destroy public properly about it. the most consistent reason LB ever gives cat about why he can’t be fully trusted or relied on is that he’s too much of a liability for their partnership to work—either because he’s too reckless, too in love with her, or his cataclysm would be too dangerous to use.

whatever it is, the baseline is that she thinks he’s a liability, and obviously that’s like salt in the wound for cat since he genuinely loves her and enjoys being partners with her, but it’s also just sad to see him continue to respect her decision and act like it isn’t a problem for him when he’s literally upset enough to physically lash out and use his powers to do so. and I know a lot of it can probably be explained by ladybug’s experience in the cat blanc timeline, but 1) she starts holding him at a distance way before that even happens, 2) she’s actively making it worse by not telling cat noir about cat blanc and why she thinks she has to exclude him for his own safety, and 3) SHE SHOULD HAVE TOLD HIM ABOUT CAT BLANC TO BEGIN WITH BECAUSE IT’S LITERALLY A WORLD ENDING SITUATION INVOLVING HIM DIRECTLY‼️‼️‼️‼️

instead she just allows him think he’s unwanted and unnecessary, calls the shots on how he should feel about “having more free time” and ironically makes him even more susceptible to being Akumatized because of it. ladybug might not be aware that cat is adrien and has a terrible home life he actively uses his miraculous to escape from, but she’s playing right into all the key aspects that adrien resents from his father; she decides what he wants without considering or asking him, she trusts him conditionally and still distances herself enough for him to just not know certain things. it’s done with good intentions, but it still clearly affects adrien very poorly, and it’s just such a frustrating glass-chewing miscommunication that only needlessly complicates the situation

don’t even get me started on Kuro Neko where ladybug falls head over heels for the changed version of her partner and narrowly avoiding her having to actually screw up and learn a lesson about accepting cat for who he actually is because catwalker is just “too perfect” for her to function—instead of being an obedient idealized version of her best friend who lets her be in control of everything (WHEN ADRIEN LITERALLY USES HIS DOUBLE LIFE TO HAVE THE CONTROL HE DOESN’T GET AT HOME).

theres so much potential for the base concept of the miraculous of destruction and its Kwami/holder being distrusted outliers among the rest of the Kwami/holders, but the magic system sucks and it kind of loses any chance when the other Kwamis are established to be catastrophic if they use their powers without a holder. and it gets even more confusing if you consider that Fu specifically chose adrien to hold that miraculous, but then encourages Marinette to keep her distance from him and barely acknowledges him as a hero in general. Like why did you even bother testing adrien for his worthiness or whatever if you obviously don’t think he’s worthy of knowing anything about you or the rest of the miraculous OR his best friend’s identity??? but you’re totally okay with her just giving them out to anyone in Paris who’s conveniently around and having her know their identity???? master fu when I catch you master fu

auugghhhfgg I don’t know the magic system thing could be its own separate post but likeeeeee I just think the miraculous of destruction whos constantly mistrusted for no reason and goes Kamehameha Krazy in another timeline is very special and could be treated so much better if the writers were good at their job and didn’t make every character’s sole purpose be validating ladybug/marinette even when she’s in the wrong

[lilacbloomsart]

Miraculous Ladybug: Question #24

I'm aware that some of the results I put on some of my polls may seem a bit odd, but I'm just putting down every character I've heard people think might be the Supreme and every anti-hero and villain in Miraculous Ladybug on this poll. I'm interested to find out if the Supreme's identity will ever get revealed, and I'm curious about who you all think the Supreme is.

[bruh240p-blog]

Got challenged to put my top five favourite characters in one image to laugh at the combo and this is what I came up with

I then kept adding and made this monstrosity. I guess you all know me intimately now/j

[nixthelapin]

I’m sure I’m shouting into the void with this question since I don’t really have that many followers, but is anyone aware of a “theme” between the secondary Miraculous jewels in the main box (Fox, Turtle, Bee, Peacock, Butterfly)? Because they seem like rather random selections to me, especially when the rest of the box has explicit ties to Chinese concepts (Yin & Yang, Chinese zodiac). I’m not even close to an expert on Chinese culture, so if there is a connection, I’d love to be made aware of it, but right now I’m drawing a huge blank

EDIT: some others were kind enough to give a few explanations in the comments and reblogs, so please check those out if you’re interested! :)

[merrymarvelite]

Cover of the Day: Master of Kung Fu #58 (September, 1978) Art by Mike Zeck

[lostuntothisworld]

Can we PLEASE talk about that extremely quick pan-over to Chat and the music choice when Maribug asks young Master Fu to believe her?

Have they met before, but in Chat's future? Does it have to do with my multi-Wish universe theory? Will Master Fu regain his memories of those previous universes where his actions weighed on him so much? There can be a compelling storyline with Marianne there, with her lying to Fu...

Or is it just an audience cue that Chat will have regrets someday but someday find peace?

Source

[s4tvrnsays]

The Wish and Master Fu

Miraculi exist everywhere, and their history is deep and rich. But as with all history, details are often lost or altered. The truth about these magical objects has been lost for ages, and anything related to them is few and far between.

That doesn't mean they don't exist, though.

A miraculous could be found in a box in a barren antique shop, or a family heirloom. It could be a ring buried deep beneath the earth in a tomb, opened years later by a grave digger hoping for a fortune. Or, it could be found by a friend. A pair of brooches along with a tome containing all of their secrets.

A tome that spoke of a wish, of a simple ritual that could grant any desire.

This tome would go years without being opened again, discarded underneath a pile of other pieces of writing and forgotten about. But it will be reopened once more by shaking hands, flipping through its pages to find that specific passage.

Blue, bloodshot eyes scan the yellowed page, propping it open to take note of all the information it has about The Wishing Ritual.

The ritual mentions the three great miraculi: the ladybug, the cat, and the crane. It told of their powers and abilities but that section was quickly ignored in favor of the next. The next page spoke of the ritual and how to perform it. It said that if the crane miraculous was destroyed and the cat and ladybug were combined, the kwami of the two miraculi will grant any wish the holder has.

However, the reader of the tome trusted it far too quickly, for the ritual was false. It is but a rumor spread by rogue storytellers, added on as a way to get their tales more renown. The miraculi have no way of granting wishes to anyone.

This rumor is a dangerous one, as it entails the destruction of the crane miraculous and it's kwami, the very thing keeping its sister miraculi stable. If the cat and ladybug were to be combined without presence of the crane, the only result would be the complete annihilation of the universe.

The rumor only stuck due to its fantastical nature, and unfortunately, any attempt at convincing people that the wish doesn’t exist went unheard. The previous gaurdians had to protect the crane as well as they could from thieves and aspiring wish-makers. They became its holders, and used its power of premonition to anticipate any possible threats to it.

Wang Fu, the current guardian, ran away with the miracle box and the crane when it's gaurdian was killed by a group of treasure hunters who heard of the Wish rumor. He had been old and reckless, and had taken off the feathered clips despite his mentee's warnings. Fu fought off the hunters and fled the country as fast as he could, thinking that the miraculi will be safe in Europe where people think them to be nothing but a legend.

Master Fu spent the rest of his life dispelling any trace of the miraculi’s existence in the public’s eye, moving from country to country, buying every piece of magical jewelry he could find to stop any and every use of them. His search took him everywhere, until he settled in Paris, France.

Now, at the age of 125, Wang Fu faces a threat to the miraculi once more. Xiann, the kwami of the crane, prophesied that a threat will come to Paris, and that it will be a great struggle. His knowing eyes shone with worry as he told his holder what he saw.

Fu's 95 years of protecting the miraculi have made their presence loud and clear, and he realises that this is a fight he cannot partake in. With the encouragement of his kwami he releases the ladybug and cat, allowing them to search for their holders. Master Fu reluctantly denounces Xiann as well, bidding their long standing partnership farewell.

He can only hope that the great threat won't do too much harm.