#I am not really into miraculous but I watched like the finale episodes of season five last year so idk

[inkuboa]

SANS!?!

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Tell me, what did you think of ML when you first discovered it? I thought Chloe's arc in season 2 was decent for this type of show, even if it could have been better. I also never took Marinette's obsessive behavior over Adrien that seriously until it started getting really grating.

My first interaction with ML consisted of me looking for kids shows to watch in Spanish, finding Miraculous on Netflix, watching maybe three minutes of The Bubbler, and then turning the show off because it didn't seem very good. That's the episode that starts with Marinette freaking out about giving Adrien a birthday present and it gave me the impression that Miraculous was doing the classic female-protagonist-pines-for-the-male-protagonist-who-barely-even-knows-her-name trope, which is not a trope that I'm into. I'm way too ace for that shit. This is the scene in question as I looked it up to make sure I was remembering it correctly:

Marinette: Ah! (she stops right in front of Adrien.) Um, he-- Hey! (she gets nervous as she holds her gift behind her back.) Adrien:(surprised, shyly) Hey. Chloé:(as she watches what's happening outside) Wait! Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing? Don't tell me it's Adrien's birthday?! Sabrina:(checks her tablet, gets surprised, and makes excusing noises while smiling sheepishly.) Chloé:(facepalms) Ugh, do I have to do everything myself? Seriously, what are you good for? (walks toward Adrien.) Marinette:(nervously) I, uh, I wanted to, umm, gift you a make-– I mean, gift you a give I made-- I mean... Chloé:(yawns while Marinette is talking and then shoves her away) Out of the way. (she acts sweet.) Happy birthday, Adrien! (throws herself onto him and gives him a kiss on the cheek.) Mwah! Adrien:(surprised) Yeah, thanks Chlo.

This backs up my vague memory that my initial assumption was that Adrien and Chloé were friends while Adrien didn't know who Marinette was because he was clearly much more comfortable with Chloé. Same goes for Nino who was talking to Adrien earlier in this scene.

I'm not sure when this first watch occurred, but I know it was at least a year before I revisited the show. I made a friend in another fandom and that friend was transitioning out of Miraculous, but they had a lot of really good Miraculous fanart and even some fanfic which got me curious as I couldn't understand why anyone would be into the show given my dismal initial impression.

On this friend's recommendation, my SO and I started watching Miraculous an episode or two at a time. I was pretty unimpressed with the actual show, but I started reading early fandom fanfic between our watching sessions and that kept me interested enough to keep watching. My initial impression of the show didn't really change until we watched Origins. That's the episode that really made me fall in love with the canon characters as it took everything about the show and elevated it. The crushes had depth! The Chloé/Adrien thing wasn't just the bitchy rich girl going after the popular boy! Gabriel was confirmed to be the big bad! Things were suddenly going places and that honestly wasn't surprising.

It's incredibly common for kids shows to have lackluster first seasons where they don't really commit to anything major re plot because they're just testing the waters to see if they'll be green lit for more seasons. Because of this, I was under the impression that Origins must have been when they got green lit and season two was going to do the standard kids show thing where they really get to dive into the plot and characters in a big way now that they're making money. This assumption was backed up by the addition of the new heroes to the show's intro.

For the first half of season two, I was invested as it seemed like we were finally getting seasonal arcs. Chloé seemed to be getting set up for some sort of character arc, which I was all for as I enjoy a good mean girl arc. We also had some tension brewing between our heroes with Fu favoring Marinette, a dynamic that felt more accidental than planned since it only happened because Marinette found the grimoire at the end of season one. I thought all of that was going to come to a head with Chloé's Queen Bee debut as things had seemingly been set up for Chloé to be Adrien's pick for a Miraculous.

Then Queen Bee actually happened and my excitement quickly faded. I still cannot think of a less interesting way for Chloé to get and use the bee. No one gives it to her and she outs herself on national television right away? Talk about wasting an idea. Clearly this had just been a one-off thing done so that the show could drive up hype for season two based on promo images of Chloé as a hero.

But it wasn't a one off thing. For some reason, they kept bringing Queen Bee back and that's when I knew we were in for a bad time because that should have never happened. It especially shouldn't have happened when Marinette was giving out the miraculous. I could maybe see a setup where Adrien gives Chloé a second chance, but Marinette trusting Chloé made no sense:

Marinette: I must choose someone who's not impressed by people in power. Who can help me trap Malediktator. Huh?! Of course! That's it. (reaches for the Miraculous of the Bee) Wait, what am I thinking? (facepalms)

Yeah, what are you thinking? Alya was your first choice for the bee, she isn't impressed by people in power, and she wasn't hit by Malediktator, so go grab her! Why would you pick Chloé?

Long story short, I kept watching because the show wasn't terrible, my SO enjoyed hearing me dunk on it as we watched it, and I was really enjoying the fan content, but I didn't have much faith in canon after the midpoint of season two and I continually lost faith as the seasons progressed. I never pictured it getting as bad as seasons five, but I only had hopes for Miraculous to be truly good for about 2 weeks as that's how long it took us to get from Origins to the Queen Bee mess. I was also disappointed by Alya and Nino's hero journeys. I expected them to be chosen for grander reasons. As is, it felt like they only got recruited because their loved ones were in danger.

Since you brought up Marinette's crush, I'll end by saying that I have never been a fan of that style of crush-based humor (once again, way too ace for that shit), but it didn't bother me in a serious way because it was very obviously meant to be humorous. I just suffered through the jokes when they happened and then moved on as there was no reason to dwell on them. It probably helped that I was reading a lot of fanfic and even the people who love the show generally agree that Marinette's crush should be played down in more serious stories.

The only time Marinette's crush bothered me was Derision as that episode straight up destroyed her character. It also made the writers look awful because they made Kim the bad guy for laughing at Marinette's behavior, but we'd just spent over four seasons being told Marinette's behavior was a joke, so what is the lesson here? Are we all supposed to feel guilty for laughing at a trauma response we didn't know was a trauma response? Are the writers saying that trauma is funny? How can you be so tone deaf?

[generalluxun]

Looking at the episode listings now & Season 3 just gets more tragic, cos from Chloe's perspective its like this:

Mums back, but still hates me (Killed me) but hey I can be a super hero cos destiny, chance, choice whatever!

Oh no, I messed up being a super hero, was humiliated before everyone and... Well at least mom seems to like me now?

Followed with, well everyone hates me and I'm useless I might as well leave, oh gosh Ladybug thinks I can be good and useful & chose me!

Capped off with, I helped Ladybug and the rest of the team battle an army of Akuma, we almost defeated Hawk Moth and even had a team photo!

Like, yes I know you know all this, sorry, but like...

From her perspective at the end of season 2, she had zero reason to think she was not on the team.

Then its months of radio silence, rejections and battles at her door.

Still, she tries at times, like with Star Train, even if no one takes her seriously.

Then she's targeted by the villains & almost manages to defeat Hawk Moths second in command but is told she can't be hero anymore.

Followed very shortly afterwards by her parents declaring she only loves herself, attacking her and Ladybug choosing the only other hero with a known identity & then Hawk Moth ambushing her.

Again you know this, but it really does just emphasize the tragedy to me.

Now,

I am sure there will be someone who will go, "She's not owed a Miraculous" and sure, but frankly no one is owed super powers. Or, "Marinette is not obligated to help improve a girl who is always awful to her." Again, fair in concept, but here's the issue.

As I noted elsewhere, she already was chosen to use a Miraculous several times, as in sequentially there were no massive gaps that would give her the impression this would be a rare or one off thing.

Thing is, as only Ladybug is making these calls & chose her each time despite their history it is Ladybug's job to tell her that it was never going to last. Or at least order someone else too, or to have opted against choosing her again in the first place.

& as for Marinette, well again, she wasn't obliged to try and fix the family situation but she chose too. We can argue about whether it was in character to try, or the method she picked was out of character.

But within the context of the story, she did opt to insert herself into the this situation. It feels disingenuous to then turn around and say she can just divorce herself from it. If nothing else, she should maybe like... Tell an adult?

Like, its for sure a messy situation.

I'm not blaming Marinette for how messy it became but I do think its fair to note how this would look from Chloe's perspective without Marinette or our audience context. IE, her beloved idol who she's given adoration & obedience told her she could be a good & useful hero; then dropped her for months, & seemingly lied about why.

I also think its fair to note that regardless of whether it was the personally logical or morally right choice, Marinette did choose to involve herself of her own accord. Even suggesting involving Chloe could make her a better person! So people acting as though she's, at the very least, not involved at all is just feels disingenuous ya now?

The Season 3 finalé sets up so much for the folks who believe S4/5 was a retcon as opposed to plan. I don't think it was a retcon, but I DO believe it was a betrayal of the narrative before that point.

The S3 Finalé frames Chloé's fall *explicitly* as a tragedy. Fu uses the phrase 'Some lose hope' to describe her situation. Losing hope isn't an act of evil, it's an act of desperation and defeat. In a greater sense it is also framed as a failure of *Ladybug*.

Because no matter what people want to say about Marinette's duty to hep, *Ladybug* does have duties and responsibilities. On her watch a child was isolated and broken down over several episodes by Hawkmoth and Mayura. Season 3 starts the pattern of Ladybug failing with every Finale *Which is a very weird story to write!*

Now, the S3 Finalé would have worked as a low-point/mistake for LB to circle back to and address shortly after. Have her find out about Hawkmoth/Mayura's manipulation, about Queen Bee confronting Mayura and rejecting her. About her rejecting an akuma before anyone else. Have Marinette discover that things are not what they appeared on the surface (come on this is a classic theme for superheros!) and institute a process of mending fences. Ladybug grows from the experience, Chloé clearly will have growing to do too. In the end though the abused child is heard, and healing/help is given.

Instead they just went with 'nah ignore all the setup, Chloé is just evil, always has been, she is actually the abuser not her parents, and she deserves it.' (A statement Thomas wrote into S5E23 which was removed in production without his knowledge)

So yeah, no wonder people think it was a retcon. There's no world where the reality makes sense.

[suckishima]

haikyuu rewatch s01e01

i've been itching to rewatch the series lately and a few years ago i did something similar for miraculous ladybug where i wrote up like a stream of consciousness/commentary post and made a gifset for each episode and i wanna try to do it again for haikyuu?? we'll see if i stay committed or not lol—gifsets per ep probably a lot more likely to continue than commentaries tbh, these things are long and not thought out so,

anyway let's start with episode 1, who wants to take bets on how many times i get teary-eyed?

ughhhhh how did i not know IMMEDIATELY my first time watching what a fucking banger of a show this would be. this opening scene is sooo aah. the voice over with the sounds of the balls and shoes, the actual content of the 'a tall tall wall' monologue, and then the visuals of just hinatas shoes stepping up to the line and then 'it was a view i could never see on my own' and the rest of the teams shoes step in??? FUCK

holyyyyy and bc im obsessed i know who is who based on their shoes in that lineup and after thir 'onigaishimasu' and they run onto the court they all run in at different speeds?? and like tanaka goes quick and kageyama bounces on his toes and tsukki is all like unenthusiastic?? what the fuCK bro

its been literally 40 seconds and im in awe aaah

oh.. oh no it's the intro. i was joking before about getting teary-eyed but uhhh

how long has it been since i watched season 1 omgg 😭😭😭

gOD the opening is so good, not just imagination but the visuals rrr the practicing shots and the animation on all the volleyball looks so great wowow

one of the less talked about of the many crimes of getting movies instead of a 5th season is definitely the loss of another amazing opening and ending

damn did i really never realize that karasuno of the little giant's time didnt JUST go to nationals but theyre playing on center court when hinata catches them on tv? meaning its either the semi finals or finals, damn lol

hmmmm i am already conflicted about whether or not i wanna talk about manga spoilers in these writeups lmao. tumblr blockout spoiler text WHEN

anywayyyy manga readers hinata on his bike watching little giant on tv iykyk (and if you know me lol) right

rrrr the imagery of the crow flying into hinata from the screen with still the sounds of the balls and whistles aaah what a cool way to show inspiriation

huh, the libero is no.2 not no.4 is that manga accurate from just before furudate decided that it was a Thing for karasuno or did the animation not check?

okay i checked and you literally can only see the little giant in the manga and none of the rest of the team so im calling it an oversight on the animation side lol (understandable, tbh when youre just making people up to fill in the shot, you arent thinking about jersey lore)

no one cares but my japanese is surprisingly better than when i first watched (at which time i knew nothing) and i can actually understand a few bits here and there without the subs

reading the occasional katakana in the background is fun too. mmmm i should try looking at og scans of the manga to see how the sound effects are intended to be read, ive heard the way furudate incorporates the characters into the action as the sound itself is really well done

air salonpas!

oooo one of the teams practicing spikes had one guy hit left handed, thats a fun detail!

dude hinatas friends are such homies i swearrrr

'whats our opponent kitagawa daiichi even like' 'idk! but we're gonna win!' lmaooo hinata you coulda done SOME research

ooo the shot of kitagawa walking in and looming above hinata is so well done, they look huuuge. i know factually that kindaichi and kunimi are tall but i tend to forget, kunimi especially, hes got short energy to me 😅

yessss and the shot of kagyama walking by and just like his Aura is enough for hinata to pick up on the king vibes yooo its so goood

kitagawa daiichi banner is just 'victory' lol okay

i could use some of hinatas blind confidence in my life lmao

oh jk its bathroom tummy ache time

man the set up for kageyama as like powerful early on is SO good, weve only seen him twice so far and both times it all above the king cape, which im pretty sure is also supposed to represent how hinata sees him which rrrr what a great way to set up their dynamic knowing everything that's to come. greatest opponent to greatest ally etc etc

also thinking about how this IS basically all hinatas POV (including the quote i just referenced) and what kageyamas POV of hinata is when he looks back on it all 👀

kageyama telling hinata he shouldnt talk big bc he isnt even physically ready (referencing tummy ache), and hinata right off the bat telling kageyama 'the six of us go all the way' and kageyama responds 'i will win every game' oooo yep they both got some things to learn from each otherr

seriously how is hinata like the friendliest person on the planet. his team is SO bad and all he cares about is that he's finally on the court, he's so positive and determined even when they're doing terribly and his friends dont know wtf is going on

🥺🥺🥺 he's so happy seeing his palm all red after spiking the ball successfully the first time waaah

sjkhdk i always laugh at 'well there IS a foxy senpai on the girls team' lmaoo like he could have just ignored that part of the question, and who translated it to 'foxy' anyway lmaoo

koji, soccer friend, coming in for a foot receive! he missed lol but for real hinatas friends are so cool showing up for him like this

i mean, they are also avoiding him when he tries to practice throughout middle school, but they showed up here when it counts

love that you can see the 'mild internal bleeding,' as kuroo would call it, on izumi's arms when he tells hinata that his arms hurt lol

akjhsakjsasj they hype hinatas jumping skills, the music swells, you think hes got it, aaaand then immediately triple blocked and the music cuts back out lmaoo. honestly, love how haikyu always plays with expectations like that

half time serve routines my beloved.... i miss you..

'we keep trying.. because we havent lost yet' <333

but also kunimi, what a mood lmao

the animation on hinatas slide hit after the toss missss aaaah, and kageyamas bangs like whipping in the wind before he reaches as far as he can aah god this whole sequence is so beautiful

kageyama after knowing hinata for roughly 30 minutes: "this guy overwhelms me" skagsajsa

he has every quality to be someone even better but—WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THESE PAST 3 YEARS?? 😭😭😭😭

karasuno senpai in the crowd!! related dumb question time, why isnt tanakas hair blond here? he should be a first year atm, and the beginning of the ep said this match is about 3 years and 3 months after little giants nationals (which is in january, although iirc the month changed sometime around those years so possibly it was in march during his time—hence why call 'spring tournament') but either way if hinata and kageyama are still middle school third years then tanaka should be a first year and thats when his hair was blonde. likely in universe answer i guess is just that this tournament is after the practice match where karasuno loses badly and gets made fun of which makes tanaka respect his senpai more and shave his head lol. which also, if hes here with them at this middle school tournament also makes sense with that so. question answered i guess

'if you want to be the last one standing then become strong' waaah

awwww the first years that he recruited to fill out his team stayed with him to practice with the middle school girls team!! they caught the volleyball bug <3

not me pausing to try and see which one of them is the foxy senpai..

lmaoooo the "old ladies team" that hinata practices with are called the yukigoaka beauties lol nice

yoooo hinatas running toward the gym for the first time and a crow flys away and a feather crossed in front of hinata niiiiice

let me tell you i had relatively low expectations for haikyu my very first time. i just wanted something easy to watch while i ate my lunch during the day, and i thought it would just be a predictable underdog story where hinata gets revenge for middle school. and i wasnt against that, i was relatively entertained this whole episode, then it gets to the end and reveals that kageyama has to be his teammate and i was like OH this is gonna be GOOD good. immediately have me hope and reassurance that the show knew what it was doing and wasnt gonna just be typical cliches etc

fuck i wish i could watch again for the first time

i warned you this would be long lol, honestly these writeups are more for me in the future to like remember my thoughts etc and like i said we'll see if i keep it up lol

[ulquichaan]

Miraculous Ladybug - my thoughts.

Hello!

It's been a while, I know. But I come back to rant yet again! I'm sorry for any mistakes in advance - its 2am and the thoughts won't let me sleep so I have to get them out there somewhere. If you don't want to waste your time - skip it. If you actually want to read it, I'll have a cookie waiting for you at the end of this. :3

My journey with MLB.

Miraculous was that one show that I got to know about through a parody of it on polish yt channel called Surreactor. I didn't know what it was about but it looked interesting and that was a point in time when season 3 was just starting to come out. Sooo, as the curious child I was - I gave it a go. And it captured me very easily.

At first all I wanted is for Adrien and Mari to finally get together. I never had big thoughts about it. Then I got bored between new episodes and just... forgot about it.

After some time however I came back to it. It was somewhere around 4th season airing. I returned to it, watched it all over again and it captured me yet again. I completely fell in love with Adrien as character and started to read loads of fanfiction about the two main heroes. I got invested, started to draw the characters in different settings and what not. I started even posting here on tumblr the rants that blew out about Adrien and about Black Cat holders as a whole just because I was frustrated on how little love he got or that I couldn't find any theories that would make sense.

I made new friend, started to plan stories more than I did before, returned to RP with my old friend through messenger and more.

It was a blow of creativity of mine at that time. You maybe you know of "Sky Is The Limit"? That was the point for me where I had so many ideas that I had to do something with at least one of them. Talking about an overload, right?

Season 4 finale - the best finale in this show in my honest opinion. Though I am based so who cares.

The point is - I deeply fell in love with this fandom for the most part.

And then... season 5 happened.

At first I was hooked. Really. I felt that it was going in the right direction and I even wanted to watch it later so I could see it in order.

Oh boy, did I get disappointed. Very disappointed.

I was never a Senti-Adrien fan, let's be real. But the execution? Even worse.

The finale? The fight yea, fun. But why cut out Adrien out of it???

Chloe as mayor? ARE YOU FOR FUCKING REAL? It's losing braincells more and more.

And I know the plot armor was always evident in this show and all.... but i feel like it was knocked up 10 times or more in season 5 to the point it could beat Game of Thrones seasons 7 and 8. (Yeah, I know what should compare two shows where one is fenomenal and the other has always been trash, but you can't argue with me that seasons 7 and 8 weren't rushed and had very poor execution)

To say that I was angry is an understatement. I HATED season 5 with every fiber of my existence. I still do, but I'm far more calm about it than I was originally. Believe it or not.

I saw all the drama in the fandom. When people complained about the show and other people came in to defend it. And I have to say - I can see where both sides are coming from.

To the people who enjoy it, all of it - I'm glad you do! I really am!

However.

I can clearly see where the hate is coming from and anytime I saw a valid critique I couldn't help but agree with it. There were some awesome responses to that critique even from people who do enjoy the show still, but there were always people who I'll call "white knights".

Aka people who will ride-or-die for the show and always say there is nothing wrong with it!

Oh how I hate this way of thinking....

Little message to those white knights - yes there are pure haters that hate just to hate, but in the spectrum of people who are critiquing the show are also people who loved it and got disappointed. When people are angry/dissapointed they usually feel the need to express themselves and forums like Reddit, Tumblr, Twitter, are just perfect for ranting. I have spent fair share in the horse gaming community to know that every flop will have a retaliation and shutting up people will make them only more angry. :|

I stopped liking the show. Why am I coming back to it?

That's a question that started to bother me just as I was going to sleep.

I have watched Hazbin Hotel (Lucifer my beloved) and fell deeply in love with it. I always liked Vivzie's Hellaverse being it Helluva Boss and now Hazbin, but there is something that just came back to me.

I started yet again imagining Adrien and Marinette but in the helllaverse. Or what if I merged hellaverse and Miraculous together in some way. Or other crazy ideas that will never see the light of day.

It's always those two characters for the most part. But the moment those two show up, the rest of Miraculous cast does too.

I fell put of the show. I don't like it. Why do I keep coming back?

My thought is - the fandom and the work it did for the characters.

I have always loved to read fanfiction even it came to miraculous. And it's always SO MANY! With many different variants of the world or entirely different settings. Ofc there are some bad fics, but the good ones are those that captured my heart and made me love the characters even more.

Let's put in some examples (and recommendations if you want to check them out):

Happiness by Somewhere_Out_Here

Once a Thief, always a Thief by @saijspellhart

Bakery Enemies by @buggachat

Heaven in hiding by @livinglittlelie

I'll guess your heart, if you guess mine by PurpleHeartsOne

Chat Blanc's Moon Waltz by @rileyclaw

The comic dubs by PhantomSavage

The little comics like "Passionate Kiss" by @edendaphne

All of these are just very few examples from multitude of content I devoured when I was in the love stage for MLB. And those things are STILL SO GOOD. (You have to check it out if you haven't already)

The point is - the fandom fell in love with the concept and if not that, then the characters. Yes, they aren't perfect. Some would say they are very much Mary Sue-ish. Some would say they are badly written. While the fact is - the characters themselves aren't badly written, the plot is just badly handled.

I can see why people love Marinette, she is quirky, funny and her ideas, while absurd most of the time, they work. And that's fine! She is supposed to be creative and what not. A great friend to have in corner, that for sure :3

Adrien on the other hand is supposed to be a bundle of issues that come with living a sheltered life and the want to be free.

(The movie handled Marinette much better than the show, let's be real here)

Sad fact - the writers of the show couldn't handle all of the potential they set up. But the fandom could and that's what's beautiful in my opinion.

The show may not be a masterpiece but they made some aspects of it so enjoyable and investing (love-square) that other people decided to execute those good things in their own stories and create something else.

The characters are just so easy to put into other stories too. Because they are written in the way they are (even if poorly handled at times) the aspects of them are very flexible, which in turn makes them easy to incorporate into other AUs.

For me it proves that you don't need a very complicated and deep character to make your story memorable. Even tho that certainly helps depending on your story. Miraculous was really lucky it got that creative fandom in the first place.

And this is what is beautiful.

Ending, some plans of mine that who knows if they will see the light of day. :]

This is only for those who are interested what I have been up to and what do i plan with this blog:

I am not quitting tumblr, oh no. I'll be probably reposting some stuff that I like from time to time.

I am returning to write "Sky Is The Limit", however I am completely rewriting it for the.... 7th time? Something like that. I doubt I'll finish it anytime soon at this rate and if I get the need to draw I might draw few characters from there or designs I have planned.

I have a very big project in mind that I might probably make a new blog for. It's still just an idea but I getting closer to actually being made so stay tuned.

I will start posting stuff from Hazbin Hotel. I fell deeply in love with Lucifer's character and you can't unglue me from that duck man!!

Other than that I went to university and I'm enjoying my time here so yeah.

And here is your cookie for reading all that! You're a legend!

(I'm open for any discussions as long as they stay respectful. Feel free to DM me :>)

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale’s Top Ten: Least favorite episodes of Miraculous Ladybug (as of season 5)

With Season 5 finished and my posting of my top 10 favorite episodes, it’s time I crank the meter the other way. Now some rules

1. Like always this is my personal opinion, and if you liked these episodes, that’s great. I would love to hear your reasoning

2. I will be judging them SOLELY of what was shown in the episode, not by any leaks that came out before or after. I’m solely judging on what is seen and confirmed

3. Word of warning, I will be pretty vicious with my critiques. Also profanities will be thrown.

Now before I go into them, I should give some congratulations to some episodes no longer in my bottom 10

Captain Hardrock: You are still a lame episode, but not the worst you are actually decent in comparison to some of these.

Stormy weather 2.0: Clip shows still are awful, but there are worst things

Frozer: In the grand scheme of things this episode really wasn’t important and there are worst character writing

___________________________________________

10.Sole Crusher

Revisiting this, it really isn’t a good episode for ML. I don’t know what was more Shoehorned in, Zoe’s character arc of replacing Chloé or the lucky charm.

It also makes little sense that Marinette would be the one pushing for Zoe considering her experience with Chloé and her family (especially after Season 5 revealed her trauma).

Now Zoe isn’t a bad character, but she will always be seen as the replacement Good bee, and she deserves better writing.

Honestly it could be argued Queen banana should be here, but that episode is too much of a s***post that I get more enjoyment out of it. This is trying to play this straight and it don’t feel right.

9. Qilin

This episode has a some things going for it, great akuma design, decent action. But it also has a ton going against it. It’s in a series of episodes I like to call “Thomas’ gets political” and I will tell you this, he sucks at it.

I would try and explain further but I am aware I would butcher the topic, all that should be said is, racism tackled poorly and Marinette says she will pay for a ticket that her mother didn’t deserve to get in the first place.

Also the animation looks off in the episode, it just looks so bleh. 

8. Migration

Remember that whole reveal that Luka knows both Ladybug’s and chat noir’s identities and how he kept that to himself?

Well that FINALLY gets addressed. And are Ladybug and chat noir mad at him? No. No consequences for him.

The whole episode acts like he is such an important character but this is one of 2 episodes he’s in where he has more than 2 lines.

Then he gets to travel the world with his dad because monarch found out he knows.

Kagami got akumatized twice and she knew Ladybug’s identity, step up your game Luka.

Also the fake out with Rose was bulls*** and everyone knows it.

Also the entire episode had everyone but Luka lacking brain cells.

I don’t rank it lower because while it annoyed me greatly, there are worse offenders on the list.

7. Animaestro

Astruc complains for 22 minutes that nobody cares about him anymore.

Also Marinette teams up with her bully which after watching Derision, WOULD BE THE LAST thing she would do.

This is the worst example of the Creator calling out the audience, There are other episodes like this but this one is the least entertaining. And if the ending of season 5 is concerned. “I’ve seen your writing, so I can FUCKING CRITIQUE IT YOU ARROGANT PIECE OF…”

Okay, I’m calm. Point being. It’s his call out the critics episode and it sucks

6. Furious Fu

I HATE Su Han.

He is a worse version of Fu in every stretch of the imagination.

The episode where Su han shows up and starts making demands is stupid. The only thing he has going for him is his fighting style which he never teaches the two people that could have needed it!

The episode isn’t lower because despite Su Han’s impact, he really doesn’t do much and he is just there to be a nag later on. Also Fu’s akuma looks dope as hell and gave Fu some slack.

5. Feast

So remember how Su han showed up in the last episode. Well he and all the other guardians were gone for over 100 years because they lost to a 4 Foot blue dog made by a hungry child.

This episode isn’t as bad as the others as a stand alone, but knowing the lore makes it sound so completely stupid. Like Fu was HAUNTED by his past and we find out it was because he was hungry when training and the guardians COULDNT handle that? All trained to fight miraculous users should they go rogue, couldn’t beat ONE DOG. The mysterious order is incompetent as heck.

It’s just so stupid. Also Fu was acting irrational af over all this didn’t help.

4.Reflekdoll

I want everyone to know how massive this is, Reflekdoll is no longer my least favorite episode.

For anyone that follows me, my SEETHING hatred of this episode is well documented.

I won’t go on about how the tropes were horribly done or ignored, how off the banter was, or even how stupid everyone is this episode. Because I’ve discussed it in length.

I will simply say, Thank God there is Passion, so if people want a GOOD kwami swap episode they can watch that one.

3. Miracle Queen

I’ve talked about this episode to death on here. But really the only flaws with it are the last half of the episode.

The drama of the first half is great. But the ass pull of a memory wipe, the clear degradation of Chloé’s character, and just the simple giving up of Hawkmoth, he could have easily still won if he pushed a bit longer. The ending was depressing but also a clear example of how the writers put themselves in a corner with no way out.

The only thing that makes it worse is Fu’s replacement (Su han) ends up being a worse teacher.

Also considering how they spent season 4 quickly getting Marinette and Adrien out of the relationships with the love rivals, even they realize it was a dumb call.

__________________________________________

2. Ephemeral

Hey, let’s make an episode to explain why Adrien can NEVER know his father is the villain.

This episode is the go to justification of the writers on why Adrien will always be sidelined. It was also the unofficial reveal of the sentimonster theory before it was said pretty much outright in season 5.

The worst akuma design. Marinette gaslighting, gate keeping chat noir at its worst.

Gabriel wins and gets his wish.

And none of it mattered and no one remembers it except I think Sass. So it was pretty much pointless.

Not even the ladrien and cute reveal could save it.

And don’t even get me started on how pointless and avoidable it is.

It’s almost funny because despite how pointless this was, it’s still better than number 1.

1. Re-creation

So many cool concepts, great designs. Marinette dropping a piano on Gabriel. So many great things. But it also had some flaws, like having Adrien sidelined, and the focus on heroes from the specials for practically no reason. But all of that could be forgivable if the ending lands…

It really shows how an AWFUL ending can fuck up everything.

Imagine having 5 seasons of fighting to stop a villain from getting the miraculous to make the wish only for him to WIN! Yes he wins. He gets to make the wish, you know the wish that was said should NEVER be used. Of all the stupid, asinine, Shark Jumping BULL SHIT. Who the fuck APPROVED THIS HORSE SHIT?!

So he gets his wish, and he gets a statue HONORING HIM. What the fuck? Adrien, who was ABUSED now sees his abuser as a hero and EVERYONE THAT KNOWS THE TRUTH IN HIS LIFE IS HIDING THE TRUTH FROM HIM. Nathalie, Marinette, Felix, Kagami. Even PLAGG!

And the whole utopia crap, everything is just perfect now, because the villain got what he wanted.

That’s a great lessons for kids! (Blatant Sarcasm)

But let’s really dig in, the ending left a LOT of things vague. And hilariously ALL OF THE POTENTIAL OUTCOMES ARE SHIT.

1. Emilie was revived and Nathalie got healed.

So Gabriel gets everything he wanted from the wish, justifying everything he did and he gets treated like a hero and another person hiding the truth from Adrien. Marinette knows everything that brought this about and is keeping that from Adrien, but is justified slightly because it could encourage Adrien to try and get his father back with a wish. Also brings up the question of who took Emile’s place.

2. Only Nathalie was healed.

Gabriel ended up with Emilie like he wanted, gets treated like a martyr, Adrien is technically an orphan, Marinette is knowingly lying to him about his father and Adrien continues to get Gaslit.

3. Emilie is revived, Nathalie is healed, and memories were altered

Gabriel’s wish basically shaped EVERYTHING how he wanted, meaning he is still in control of Adrien’s life even in death. Even his own wife. So while this removes Marinette covering for him intentionally, it just means Gabriel was so much worse.

4. Nathalie’s healed and memories altered

Gabriel gets to be with Emile and has shaped Adrien’s life even in death. Everyone basically puppeteer by him as he died. Sure he’s dead but he also retconned for his redemption, which is bullshit.

Now there are people that defend this ending/potential ending.

I’m sorry but, unless they revive Gabriel and he gets exposed, Adrien finds out the truth, and he gets held accountable for his actions. I can’t feasibly imagine this ending being good.

The writing staff aren’t going to do Anything about this, they are just going to move on to Lila as the main villain and say the Agreste plotline is over.

If they Do, do something, I’ll happily take back my words and alter my view of the episode but right now.

It’s one of the WORST season finale’s I’ve seen in my life.

[nixthelapin]

So I heard that the “Intro the Re-Verse” Miraculous Special Will take place after Destruction, and… *deep inhale* Are you kidding me??

Destruction was episode THREE of season 5. That literally came out a whole year ago (Oct. 2022). And they’re releasing this special right after another one that also was set during season 5 (Action), even though the finale has well sense passed. I think that most of us are ready to move on with the plot instead of just going back to the status quo, especially since that means Gabe will still be a villain at this point (though I guess technically not active since he’ll be making the Alliances at this point?), but at the very least will still be having that controlling and oppressive influence on Adrien. I know I’m going to be super frustrated watching any interaction they have in this simply because (1) we saw Gabe die already, why should we care? and (2) Adrien is free from his father at the end of the season. We may argue about how well both of those things were done, or how satisfying the story was, but it doesn’t change how that story did end, and bringing back the old dynamic again is honestly a little jarring to me. I personally didn’t like the finale, but because what happened happened, I’m just ready to move on from it.

Then there’s the whole thing where they’ll be interacting with their reverses. I wasn’t necessarily expecting an identity reveal (would’ve been a good way to bring it out, especially to cause some drama, but there’s no way they’d leave that to a special instead of in the show proper), but I was expecting something around Gabriel’s identity. He’s a good guy in the Re-Verse, and has the butterfly like our Gabe. LB and CN would be against Toxinelle and Claw Noir sharing their identities, but why wouldn’t they want to know the butterfly? Anything to lead them to Monarch (since this is still during season 5)! Why wouldn’t they ask him? Not really too much of a reason to say no, since once they go back to their universe, LB and CN knowing his secret identity won’t impact him at all. What would stop them, really? Especially when they are so desperate and vulnerable after such a huge loss against Monarch.

(If it was set after the season 5 finale, we could have them learning reverse-Gabriel’s identity, and see Adrien deal with those emotions. “Does this mean my father had the Butterfly?” “If this version is a hero… then what does that mean for mine?” etc. But no.)

TLDR: was hyped for the Re-Verse Special, found out it was set after season 5 episode 3, am now significantly less hyped.

[lightbluetown]

i sit here in the middle of a rainy night, on the same chair i hopped on every thursday in october to watch the new ofmd episodes the moment they came out

and i reflect on how it felt guaranteed that we'd get a season 3, how it was just a matter of "when"

but then i remember the thoughts i had here on this chair on october 26th with the run-down inn on my laptop screen. i remember how i, out loud, said "that felt like a series ending"

and slowly the disappointed voices in my head turn into a choir of "well, why am i even surprised?" this season had a massive budget cut. they had to relocate to aotearoa to shoot it. they had to remove cast members for it. even the production of season 2 was a miracle. david jenkins knew season 3 would be even harder to secure, so he and his crew crafted a season that could and does function as both a potential act 2 finale and a series finale. it was imperfect, it was created under less-than-ideal conditions, but it was filled with love and care. it tried to tell two portions of two potential stories at once and it miraculously succeeded at that. i can now watch it again with a brand new, much more bittersweet feeling in my chest

i don't know. there really is nothing for me to say. i had a truly wonderful time and i wouldn't trade it for anything. i'm sad for the cast, i'm sad for the crew, i'm sad for us but at least i'm not sad for the characters. they each got to tell us their stories. it was beautiful

[graaythekwami]

What is your opinion about the ending of Miraculous?

(I'm using this ask as my chance to talk about both episodes as a whole, not just the ending-- spoilers ahead!)

My thoughts on these two episodes are mixed, but positive overall. :)

Over all, I enjoyed the episodes. It was fun, the action and animation were great, and there are parts that I really really loved that are being adopted into all my kwami headcanons right now and no one can stop me. I was worried with how the season would end based off of some things I heard, and was prepared for the worst-- but these were enjoyable episodes to watch.

However I will not lie that I am not happy with how some characters were handled. I'm sorry but I will never be happy with Gabriel being seen as a hero, and the fact that Adrien wasn't there or even told what happened?? Gabriel getting a statue?? Gabriel acting like he cared about Adrien when he clearly didn't?? No... just no, its not right or fair. I could go on about this all day, but I won't as there's a lot to say about these episodes.

Adrien not getting a role in this finale I am mad at. Him being left in the dark about what happened I'm also not happy with, HOWEVER... seeing Marinette's age, mindset, and everything she's been through... I don't feel that her actions were out of character. I can see a young teenager under pressure wanting to protect the one she loves from a horrible reality. I'm not saying her keeping the truth from him is right, but I can see how it fits into the narrative. As long as the fact that this lie was told is addressed in the future (and the weight it will no doubt put on Adrien) and not just brushed aside, then I won't get up in arms about this scene yet, and I will wait to see how its handled in the future.

Last small little tiny thing is Felix. Like... it feels out of character for him to just be like "yeah hero team!" and for the hero team to be like "yeah Felix!" Feel like more should have been addressed on Felix's character as a whole.

Okay-- enough about the negative-- onto all the awesome parts about these episodes! :D

First of all-- hero team!! Full time holders!! Saved kwamis (I'm so sorry Nooroo that you're still out there you deserve so much better!!) I love it, this is what we needed, and I hope the identity rules ease up among the heroes after this.

Next Nathalie. Oh Nathalie, the queen, amazing-- 11/10 this episode. She full on goes in dying and is ready to shoot Gabriel with a crossbow?? Like girl, you're amazing!! I'm glad to see that she is better now, she deserves it. Anyways I love her.

Adrien getting his amok-- yes, finally.

Marinette's Ladybug and Black Cat unification was a lot of fun. Its too bad the name Lady Noire was already taken, but I loved this whole fight. A piano being dropped on Gabriel's head, Gabriel's reaction to Marinette being Ladybug. Marinette beating Gabriel and just summoning all the Luck Charms... she was a boss. I loved the checkmate scene. I love how she did try to reach out to Gabriel (not that he deserves a second chance but Marinette is just a sweetheart). I loved Gabriel's betrayal to her with a Vemon because it was his last in character moment, I loved that we got to see all the other characters in action. The classmates, Fei and the New York heroes. All great scenes.

Now finally onto the gold of these episodes: THE KWAMIS. Hehehehe they were amazing, they were beautiful. Yes give me all their true forms, give me Gimmi (hehe) they look SO cool and epic. I originally thought I wouldn't like a true-form kwami or a fusion form of them but never mind they're glorious they are my children we need true forms for all the kwamis look at how powerful they are!!

And how the Wish works... I never really liked the whole "destroy the universe and create a new one" idea they had going on in other episodes, and I'm so glad they went with an equal price. And maybe destroy and remake the universe still has a role in it all but give me the green strawberries as a price. The whole Wish scene with how it works and the true form of the kwamis was fantastic and I love it so much.

[miraculouswolf99]

Season Five Feelings

As someone who has been into this show for a while, I am sure that I was not the only person who did not have high hopes for season five. Especially since after seasons 3 and 4, the show itself had really gone downhill. Especially in terms of character development and storyline.

But, as I watched season 5, it actually became one of my favorite seasons after the first two. There was actual character development, there were moments where characters other than Marinette got time to shine, and we finally got somewhere when it came to the love square.

I will first be honest. I have never been a fan of the love square. Marinette has always been a creepy stalker who seemed to care more about Adrien as the "perfect model" than she cared about Adrien as the "regular person." Also, I never liked how even when she tried to date Luka, she still never gave up on Adrien and that was extremely unfair to Luka since he is by far one of the best characters on the show.

But, given that season 5 had actual character development, the love square actually became something I enjoyed. First, there was the adorable reversal where Adrien liked Marinette and Marinette liked Cat Noir. Gave a lot of "Marichat" fans what they wanted given that it is the corner of the love square that people tend to enjoy the most. It also lead to both Marinette and Adrien going into slight depression because of how their hero lives continued to prevent them from having meaningful relationships with anyone as civilians. But, after the two of them actually got together, without any Cat Blanc or Ephemeral stuff happening, they actually became a really good couple. Marinette was less of a stalker, Adrien started standing up to his father, and the two became more in sync as heroes.

Also, if there is one thing that I have seen a lot, it is people disagreeing with how Lila and Chloe's characters were handled. Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with them. While I get that people were probably excited by Chloe's redemption story and were against how it was "taken from her," I never cared much. Like, even during her "redemption" arc, Chloe was still Chloe. She still bullied others, still got people akumatized, and still treated everyone horribly. There was always the chance that she would turn worse rather than get better. With Lila, I think it is quite realistic that she is as bad as she is. Like, I understand how there are a lot of people that want her to have a reason for her being as bad as she is. But, that is not the case for everyone. Sometimes, people are simply bad without really having a reason. Lila is a classic case of a sociopath or a psychopath with narcissistic personality disorder. She literally can not accept anyone going against her in any way. Which is why she targets Marinette and Ladybug for such petty reasons.

As for each episode, allow me to share my feelings for each one.

Evolution: Probably the episode would have had the most fanfics about if it had not been the first episode of the season. Not only was it fun to see little flashbacks from previous episodes, but it was the start of development for other characters beyond Marinette. Such as how Cat Noir was allowed the rabbit miraculous to duel-wield as Rabbit Noir. Actually giving him a moment where he was treated as Ladybug's partner and not her sidekick. Also, it showed that despite the golden opportunity, Gabriel would choose his obsession with the heroes over everything else. After all, he could have easily given his past self the fix-it spell for the peacock miraculous but instead chose to go after Ladybug and Cat Noir. Plus, I personally also enjoyed Natalie giving him the "you're an idiot" talk. Also, we got the moment of Alix gaining the rabbit miraculous, even if it also took her out of the show, for the most part, to keep Monarch from getting the miraculous back. It was nice to see Alix's father approve of her leaving rather than taking Alix away from her life without letting him know. Multiplication: This episode was the first that started the rest of the real plot of the season. First, it showed the heroes traveling to London to confront Felix about both his betrayal as well as to get the peacock miraculous. His mother lied about him not being there even though the episode ended with him being next to her and then introducing himself to the peacock's kwami. Then, it showed how the other characters, and people in Paris in general, were adjusting to try and keep Monarch from being able to akumatize them. Such as Mylene and Ivan taking up yoga and Alya and Nino taking boxing lessons from Nora. It was shown that a few weeks had passed since Monarch gained the other miraculous, making people originally believe he gave up. Until the attack by Kagami's mom, who had also been given the power of the mouse miraculous. After she had been defeated, she was shown to not have the actual miraculous. This led to the reveal of how she was both aware of Gabriel being Monarch on top of revealing they were designing "smart rings" to give akumas specific miraculous powers without having to give them the actual miraculous. However, my favorite part was Adrien getting his best character development moment when he confronted his father and said he did not want to model anymore. Which, much to his shock, his father agreed to. Even if Gabriel only agreed because he was still using Adrien's image for the Alliance rings.

Destruction: Another episode that was almost like it could have been a fanfic. It was about Monarch trying to force the kwami to lead him to Marinette/Ladybug because he was ordering them to take him to The Guardian. It leads him into what was basically an overly complicated scavenger hunt around Paris that eventually takes him to the wax museum. But, it was then revealed the entire thing was a trap. Ladybug had been prepared in case Monarch, when he was Hawkmoth/Shadow Moth, ever got his hands on the kwami. So, she set up the entire scavenger hunt so that she would know where he would end up and they could ambush him. I thought it was great to have a moment of Cat Noir having actual pity as well as some trauma over Monarch forcing him to use his power on him so that he could get away. Plus, it's also fun to see the heroes be able to plan ahead the way they did to almost be able to defeat him. Especially since there was no way either could predict that he would be so desperate not to lose that he would allow himself to be cataclysmed. This episode also had the moment of when Gabriel and Tomoe changed the miraculous into rings so that they could move forward with their plan. It was great to see the plot slowly unfolding.

Jubilation: Usually, the introduction of a new character this late would not work out. But, I actually ended up really liking Socqueline. It showed an unseen part of Marinette's character when we meet an old friend of hers. Plus, it was also revealed that another usage of the Alliance rings was to track people. That way, if either Ladybug or Cat Noir wore a ring, the rings would detect their faster movements, which would reveal who they were to Monarch. While it was a little unrealistic that only Ladybug and Cat Noir would not wear rings, it makes more sense for Marinette and Adrien since Adrien was shown to not like that his image was still being used and Marinette was shown to not really like Alliance in general. And they were not the only ones since Ivan and Mylene were revealed to not wear rings, either. I also liked that Ladybug and Cat Noir chose to come out of the illusion that the power of the pig miraculous put them in. It shows that they were willing to put aside their own desires to stop the akuma.

Determination: It was not my favorite episode, to be honest. While it has been shown that Luka and Kagami were supportive of Adrien and Marinette getting together, this episode took it a bit too far where the two tricked them into coming to the museum and then locking them in a room. While this had already been done in the New York special, this time it was interrupted by a real akuma instead of the fake one that Jess and Aeon created. The episode also showed how much more hatred Chloe had for the heroes since she was using her father to keep the hero exhibit from being opened. A lot of people disagree with how Chloe has been done, but I have never liked her. Plus, her irrational hatred of the heroes has been shown before. It made more sense for her to hate the museum because I doubt they would have had a Queen Bee statue. I also enjoy that even this far into the show, there are still characters that become akumas for the first time.

Passion: Personally, this is one of my favorite episodes of the season. I really enjoyed the character development of Natalie. She stays at Agreste Mansion solely because she wants to protect Adrien from Gabriel. She even got akumatized on purpose, basically tricking him because she was going to take the miraculous for herself and make a wish to once again keep Adrien safe from Gabriel. Plus, another great part of the episode was Cat Noir taking charge of his and Ladybug's partnership. He was able to use the kwami to switch their miraculous so that he could become Mister Bug and she could become Lady Noir. He made the choice because the paralyzing arrows that Natalie/Safari was using against them would search specifically for Ladybug and Cat Noir, not Mister Bug and Lady Noir. I also enjoyed seeing how much Adrien did care for Natalie. He treats her as a mother figure and going to her for advice on how to ask Marinette out.

Reunion: There are two great things about this episode. The first being that we got to meet a previous holder of the ladybug miraculous, Joan of Arc. Marinette had gone to her for advice since she was the only other previous holder who was involved with that era's black cat holder. The second was how heartfelt it was to see Jalil missing his sister so much that he was willing to believe anything that could explain why she left because didn't want to believe she left her family willingly. He wanted the truth, even if he had originally gone to the wrong source by believing online chats that were filled with people going the "Monarch might want to use the wish for something good and Ladybug and Cat Noir might be the real bad guys" route. It was really funny to also see Joan try to fight Pharaoh, only to pass right through him because she was not actually there. Plus, when Plagg gave Adrien his own kwagatama, I was literally like "Finally!"

Illusion: Another great thing about the season was that civilians were also trying to fight back against Monarch. Nino had formed a resistance group made up of the class and their friends. They wanted to try and figure out how the akumas were gaining miraculous powers without having the miraculous. Only, they had no idea Lila eavesdropped on them and revealed their plan to Gabriel. It brings me to how I enjoy that Lila was becoming more frequent and less of someone who randomly appears in episodes to cause trouble. She was becoming an actual villain rather than a small-time bad guy. It was a villain's own form of character development.

Elation: I had said earlier, this season had a reversal of the love square. And this episode showcased their changed feelings. Probably the one thing I enjoyed the most about the episode was Marinette reaching her limit with other people telling her who she should love. It was a very human moment that also showed the downside of her falling for Cat Noir since it is dangerous to be with a hero. And despite knowing how dangerous it was, she still loved him. Cat Noir also had his own moment of knowing that it was dangerous for him to love Marinette as a hero. They both did not change their feelings, but they accepted how dangerous their feelings were. It was a great character moment for both of them.

Transmission (The Kwamis’ Choice – Part 1) & Deflagration (The Kwamis’ Choice – Part 2): I thought this two-part episode was a great show of Marinette and Adrien finally allowing themselves to make a selfish choice. Tikki and Plagg had taken it upon themselves to take away their miraculous so that both of them could lead normal lives and have their own love lives. I think it was a great moment to show that even heroes can go through difficult times. I also like how the plot device that was previously shown, the rings tracking the movements of their wearers, was used against instead of being forgotten. That was how Monarch learned the identities of Scarabella and Kitty Noir. Also, the episode included more of the Resistance that Nino started. I definitely enjoyed seeing them fight against Monarch rather than giving up hope once it was known that the new heroes had been defeated. Though, it was funny that while fighting against Monarch, Kim, Ivan, and Rose dogpiled to keep him from moving. The fact that Rose also jumped onto the villain despite being the only one who is almost as small and short as Alix was so funny to me. Plus, despite Marinette and Adrien basically going back to square one by the end of the episodes, they did not choose to go back. They decided to continue to try a relationship despite being heroes again.

Perfection: As I previously pointed out, I enjoyed that Lila was becoming an actual villain. This time, it showed how she was able to trick more than just the class since she was able to lie and trick Kagami. I did feel really bad for Kagami because she made to believe that no one really cared about her. That even when she strived for perfection, it wasn't enough. The plan for helping Kagami break out of Monarch's influence was really sweet. Especially since I enjoyed seeing Socqueline again. And while a little corny, I also think that Adrien's song to Marinette was really sweet, with funny moments as Max, Nino, and Zoe provided the backup vocals. A very random trio.

Migration: Luka is definitely one of my favorite characters. Not to mention also a fan favorite. So, having an episode focused on him was great. Anarka was also HILARIOUS with how many times she threw Bob Roth off the Liberty. And while I hate his character, I did like how Bob got an actual akumaization this time rather than the opening scene one that we got in the Ephemeral episode. I also enjoyed that it was finally brought up how Luka is aware of both Ladybug and Cat Noir's identities from back in the Wishmaker episode. Despite how it forced Luka to have to leave Paris, that was a realistic moment while showing Luka's selflessness when it came to protecting the heroes. Plus, the fact that he gets quality father-son time is a great thing for him that he deserves.

Derision: As someone who does really like Kim, I both loved and hated this episode at the same time. The parts that I loved were showing more about Marinette/the class's past, showing the reason why Marinette and Socqueline had been so close, and also having Adrien end his "friendship" with Chloe for real. I also enjoyed seeing the reason why Marinette was so focused on learning everything about Adrien. As much as I think it doesn't excuse her stalker behavior, it does explain it. I also enjoyed Mylene's line about how just because Chloe's mom left her, it doesn't excuse Chloe's behavior the way everyone says that it does. Chloe's brattiness is her choice and her choice alone. While I liked the additions to Kim's character, what I didn't like was how he was turned into an unknowing bully. Like, he didn't mean to be a bully, but he was one. He took jokes too far, including using Marinette's fear of bugs against her after Chloe tricked him. However, it did explain why Kim had sometimes gone along with Chloe in the past before she broke his heart in Dark Cupid. Such as going along with Chloe and Sabrina when Chloe got Alya suspended in Lady Wifi. I am glad that he learned his lesson by the end.

Intuition: Just like with the power of the rabbit, the power of the snake was another that probably a lot of people thought that Monarch would use a lot. And it was shown that he did use it. Very often. I liked seeing scenes from previous episodes, showing how much he used the power. Plus, it was another example of something from a previous episode not being ignored. This time being the cataclysm scar from Destruction. It showed how he basically was speeding up his injury because time would move for him while it would reverse for everyone else. Also, gotta love Natalie and her once again basically saying "You're an idiot" to Gabriel.

Protection: I know how often Kagami and Luka are used in fanfics as friends of Marinette who see through Lila's lies easily. But, I actually like how Kagami also falls for Lila's lies since it shows both Lila as a threat on top of showing that even someone like Kagami has weaknesses. What I didn't like was how this episode basically ignores Kagami having already learned from Perfection how much others, including Marinette and Adrien, care about her. Another great part was Adrien once against standing up to his father, who had teamed up with Tomoe to get Adrien and Kagami forced back together. Adrien chose not to listen to them, choosing to continue pursuing Marinette. He was really growing into his own character.

Adoration: Lila and Chloe had shown to have teamed up in the previous season. A great detail that was shown to not have been ignored in this new season. This time with them teaming up to get back at Marinette by getting Sabrina akumatized into Vanisher again, with the added addition of the power of the dog miraculous, to frame Marinette for theft. I enjoyed showing how awful these two are on their own with them basically using Monarch to their own advantage rather than the other way around. While I have always liked the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters, I didn't like how Zoe was made yet another person interested in Marinette. If they really wanted more LGBTQ+ characters, then they could easily have Juleka and Rose or Marc and Nathaniel be actual known couples rather than having them only be known as that through speculation and guesswork. It just makes it seem like they try and force Marinette to appear like a Mary Sue-type character with how many people they have fall for her.

Emotion: Felix is another character that I feel got a lot of much-needed character development. While the entire idea of this episode came out of nowhere, it shows that Felix was more than just a regular villain. He was actually more like an anti-hero, like Red Hood and Harley Quinn. I enjoyed seeing him try and protect Adrien and Kagami by making those who control them vanish. It was also a realistic take on how even when both Adrien and Kagami are aware of the fact their parents are controlling, they still love them. Kagami showing she was even willing to attack a miraculous-wielding "bad guy" to get her mother back. I also enjoyed how Felix ended up changing because he could see how much he upset Adrien with his actions. But, Felix obviously was shown to be a very complex character that I was really looking forward to learning about more.

Pretension: More character development for both Marinette and Felix. Not only was it great to see Marinette standing up to Gabriel, but Felix showed his growth by becoming interested in Kagami. And not just because he liked her, but also because he did not want her to be controlled by her mother. Also, despite not trusting Felix, Kagami learned enough about Felix and why he does what he does that she was able to convince Ladybug and Cat Noir to give him another chance. That allowed them to be able to defeat Kagami's akumatized mother, with Felix allowed to get away. Felix and Kagami were quickly becoming a favorite couple of mine. The way they gave each other development was really good. Also, I enjoyed Adrien now having to deal with his own home-based conflict when Gabriel reveals he is going to demand Adrien go to London right after the end of school. It gives Adrien another reason to start standing up to his father.

Revelation: Lila is shown to really have no real version of herself. Not even with her own family since it is revealed she is juggling three different mothers/lives with her lies. I actually like that detail since it shows how there is really no "real" version of her. She also had really been pushed to the edge in this episode as Gabriel had replaced her with Kagami as an Alliance avatar. Part of which was probably because he wanted to make her angry to akumatize her, but mostly because he no longer found any use for her. However, I liked that it backfired on him since when he did akumatize her, she used her powers to force Natalie to take pictures of all of Gabriel's secrets and send them to her. While others might question how she was able to do that, she still had her free will because she was willingly akumatized. Just like when she was akumatized into Chameleon. I also like how Adrien apologized to Marinette for his "high road" advice. He now knew that Lila was a lot more dangerous than a simple liar. He was another great growth of his character. One thing that I will never understand is why they allowed Lila to run for class representative simply because she did not get the chance before. I mean, it was almost the end of the year, so there wouldn't be much point to have a change. My best guess is simply because they needed a plot device for the next episode.

Confrontation: And I was right about them needing a plot device for the next episode. After all, if they had not allowed Lila and Chloe to take over as class representative and deputy, then they would not have been able to throw away the original school/career forms to replace them with things none of the class would be interested in. After all, even if they replaced the forms while Marinette was still the representative, there is no way that Marinette and Alya would have shown the forms at the school meeting since they would know someone faked them. Also, while I didn't like how Damocles was forgiven for all his past mistakes, I did like that he finally stood up to the mayor. Especially when allowing the class to redo their forms rather than letting the mayor tell him to not allow that because it would "make the school look bad." The added power of the magical charms was also really cool! Lila finally being exposed was also really satisfying, even if it didn't end up doing much since Chloe used her power to keep herself and Lila in school and away from the consequences. But, my favorite part was actually the reveal that Juleka has a speech impediment, which resulted in her previously being held back a year. It was a great explanation as to why Luka was not also in the same school with them even after it was revealed that he and Juleka were twins.

Collusion: It turns out that Damocles' no longer being the principal did not mean much in the long run. Even with him being replaced by Mendeleiev, she also bent to the will of Chloe and the mayor. Even firing Miss.Bustier for no reason other than her trying to stand up for Marinette after Chloe faked getting slapped. As much as I hated how low Monarch was willing to go to akumatized a pregnant woman, I did like how it was one fight that was handled with no violence. Just like when Rose first became Pigella and helped defeat Reflekta without any need for fighting because of her power. However, I honestly did not like the episode much since it really drove home how Chloe literally can get away with ANYTHING! Like, how could it ever be possible for a TEENAGER to become mayor even if her father had been the previous mayor? Even with the usual TV logic, it STILL doesn't make sense.

Revolution: The only thing that makes even less sense than Chloe being the mayor is people being OKAY with her being the mayor and making Ladybug/Cat Noir outlaws along with Monarch. Like, the heroes have been working hard, day and night, to defeat Monarch and his akumas. With a lot of those akumas being CHLOE'S fault. Yet, that is forgotten by so many people when they agree with her decisions. Also, if Sabrina had not already broken her "friendship" with Chloe by exposing her and Lila's plan, then she DEFINITELY would have done it when Chloe replaced the entire police force, including Sabrina's own dad, with robots. Not to mention ruining school by forcing Mendeleiev to "teach" Chloe's fake version of history, which was her family being responsible for everything good in the world. However, I am SO glad that she FINALLY experiences consequences for her actions. Her father finally stands up to her, he kicks her out of Paris to allow Chloe's mother to have full control, and not even Marinette allows Chloe to deal her any more emotional pain. Chloe has reached rock bottom and she knows it. Also, Adrien and Marinette finally getting their kiss will always be adorable!

Representation: I will be honest and admit that I have never liked the whole "Adrien is a sentimonster" theory. But, then I got this episode that revealed how it was true, not to mention Felix and Kagami also being sentimonsters as well. That was definitely not expected. However, it does explain why Felix and Adrien are identical even though their mothers are identical twins. After all, identical cousins are not a real thing. I also really enjoyed the way that Felix and Kagami revealed their origins to Marinette. Telling it as a fairy tale with a sentimonster called "Once Upon A Time." It was fun and creative. I also loved how Cat Noir got to defeat an akuma all on his own, with help from the Resistance. Plus, since I do like Kim, I enjoyed how he was the one who went right to Cat Noir to help bring him out of his nightmare. I also felt SO bad for Adrien and Kagami since their parents wanted to control them so much that they forced them into plain locked rooms since both had escaped their previous new rooms in London.

. Conformation (The Final Day – Part 1) & Re-creation (The Final Day – Part 2): Big season finales have always been a favorite of mine! And this one was REALLY big! First, my heart went out to Adrien because he was constantly being tormented by his nightmare while also locked in his room with no way to seek comfort. Second, I really enjoyed the other heroes from other parts of the world, the United Heroes and Lady Dragon, coming to Paris to help in the final fight. It brings the heroes from the specials even more into the world of Miraculous rather than keeping them as just characters in the specials. Gabriel and Tomoe's plan was honestly brilliant! While Scarlet Moth failed to overwhelm the heroes, this was a global-scale epidemic that was pretty much a guarantee to overwhelm them. If it had not been for Marinette being able to learn who Gabriel really was. Her fusing the black cat and ladybug together was really cool to see! As well as bringing back the detail of the upgrades she and Cat Noir got from "growing up" in the Revolution episode since she used both Lucky Charm and Cataclysm several times without changing back. I also enjoyed how it didn't focus on just her showdown with Monarch, but also her friends dealing with the Alliance soldiers. Especially since Rose being the one to tackle Ivan to the ground when he became a soldier will always be funny to me! Rose is a violent angel and I am here for it! Only three things bothered me about the episodes. One, Marinette trusting Gabriel enough to de-transform in front of him just because he was showing a moment of weakness. That was NOT smart at all. Especially since he had already sown that he was pretty much completely insane with desperation by that point. Two, the fact that Marinette kept her "promise" to Gabriel to not reveal who he was to Adrien. If he ever finds out the truth, he is going to be DESTROYED! Not to mention feel incredibly betrayed by Marinette. Adrien has every right to know who his father was! And three, they seriously took Adrien/Cat Noir out of the final battle! That is NOT RIGHT! He has been a hero from day one and yet they do not even allow him to take part in the final battle! That is NOT okay!

Action: I don't honestly have much to say about this episode. It is simply one of those regular "children's show" episodes that are about teaching kids an important lesson. A lot of kid shows usually have an episode like it. The most I can say is that I enjoyed how it was another example of Adrien standing up to his father.

[chemicallywrit]

Happy Audio Drama Sunday! What a delightful and spooky Halloween week. As usual, this list is not comprehensive, but this is what stood out to me this week. Some spoilers ahead, in the shape of vibes~

🩸Hemophobia did NOT disappoint. My word. The strange disconnected way the story was told; the fact that the sermons were more coherent and clear than the action; the Extremely Teenage Teens. Man. I cannot wait to listen to this next episode.

🦀 THE SILT VERSES. Every day I think about Faulkner. The person he is. The apostle and the fool. Jeez louise. I can’t tell if he’ll save the faith or obliterate it and take everyone down with him. @thesiltverses

🌊 Modes of Thought In Anterran Literature - is that Felix Trench??? On the one hand, hearing a familiar voice does break the immersion a little, like the most unnerving part of this show is how real it feels; on the other hand, Felix did such a good job, the immersion break didn’t last long. This new character sucks, i love him.

👻 Palimpsest!!!! New palimpsest!!!! Easily one of my favorite single-narrator shows, and this one is set in the 1920s, which is one of my favorite historical periods. They’re also very good at a horrible subtle twist, so I can’t wait to hear more about this ghost.

😈 Kakos Industries is literally always good, but I really feel for Corin being like “PLEASE leave me alone on Halloween.” Man, this show is funny. Why isn’t it more popular. Please listen to Kakos Industries. They’re on hiatus, there’s no better time to catch up. @kakosindustries

🍔 Mayfair Watcher’s Society always knows how to get to me. It’s like, the absolute corruption of the Normal into something horrific and wretched is the point of the show, especially when it’s something you always suspected was messed up. Like a fast food job. I shudder.

🌲HALLOWOODS JEEZ. Mx Wellman did in fact try to kill me. I survived. I WISH SOME OTHER FOLKS HAD. @hellofromthehallowoods

❄️ Red Valley. Man alive. One of the things I love about this show is how there are no real heroes, but this season from the POV of the villains—the architects of the apocalypse, in a lot of ways. Creeps. It’s delicious. Today’s episode, watching Clive finally reaping what he sowed, was absolutely glorious. @redvalleypod

🦷 Welcome to Night Vale - HOBOY. Idk if the return of Kevin is going to be a plot point, but it’s the perfect idea for a Halloween ep. Chilling work as always, Kev! It’s also fun to listen to him seethe about his loss of power.

🅿️ Podcube is always a delightful treat, but this week had a fantastic little bit of sound design, which I’m told is this sound designer’s first attempt at such a thing. He did a great job! I love this show, everyone listen to PodCube. @podcube

👑 Malevolent: We’re Back To The Horrors. I’m honestly relieved. Arthur having friends and family is so scary, I keep waiting for something horrible to happen to them. And now something has! Which is not to say more terrible things won’t happen, but i feel like the other shoe has dropped. This is not a criticism at all, Harlan is so good at this.

🌞 I finished Fall of the House of Sunshine this week and…it made me cry? This goof goof show made me CRY? It really is just You Make Your Own Meaning The Musical, isn’t it? If this show had to have a moral, then “even if all you can do is something small, it matters” is a pretty good one. The fact that there was a moral at all is pretty miraculous. I’m going to go listen to the soundtrack a million times now.

🧛🏻‍♂️ Re: Dracula is coming to an end in just a few days and here is a secret: i haven’t heard these last few eps yet. Tal and Stephen finished working on them while I was in the thrall of New Job, so I get to hear their excellent sound work new with you. I am so excited for the final showdown, let’s GO. @re-dracula

🧟‍♀️ The Dead premiered this week! Go subscribe to it, it’s about to get REAL WEIRD. We did some table reads for the next story this weekend (and we have one more today!) and if you think zombies on a plane are scary…

Go check it out!

Now that all is well on the job front, I hope to get back to recording Inn Between soon, because I Want It To Exist. If you want to help us out or you just like what I got up to today, please drop by my ko-fi!

[baenyth]

Bethany's Bizarre Miraculous Reviews Episodes 4-25 and 4-26: The Risk and Strikeback Two-Parter

Alright, we are finally back. Also is this really a two-parter? Why haven't I heard anyone talk about Risk, anyways?

Oh, and one more thing: I've been calling these reviews but really they're just my live reactions as I watch the series. But 'Bethany's Bizarre Miraculous Reviews' rolls off the tongue far better than 'Bethany's Bizarre Miraculous Live Reactions.'

Wait, was Luka always in the title sequence?

I mean, it'd be good for Chat Noir to know as a failsafe.

Wait, does Rena Furtive know?

So fun fact, that "Adrien No" scene from a future episode blew up on Twitter and I saw it get reposted to two of the Discords I'm in. In one of them they called Gabriel Agreste G-Man and that fucked me up. Just call him Poopmoth or Hawkmoth or something.

Weird ahh looking teeth

Wait, is Froggy's dad Tom Kenny or am I just hearing things?

No wait, that's the same VA as Poopmoth.

Holy crap! AOE attack! There's potential for that Wild West akuma idea I had!

Bro sees his father so little that even breakfast with him is a rare commodity

Shirt

Has this kid been up all night? I guess he has been taking risks...

Damn Adrien's sick of everyone's shit now

Wait, is Gabriel affected by Risk as well?

And it's the three girls I think genuinely adore and believe Lila.

Lila you bitch. Just let Marinette announce her love to Adrien. You're going to get aeons of time to spend with her anyways.

Oh right. Chloe's teaming up with Lila.

Both sides have a point, but really? Alya, you helped Marinette steal Adrien's phone just to delete an embarrassing message.

Is it just me or does this episode feel weirdly hard to watch?

"Oh Nathalie, I threw up at school because of dad's shitty-ass pancakes." "Get out my damn room!" "You've always been a whiny little bitch."

But it seems like Felix is actually starting to help Adrien now. Good!

The safe crackerr

Good. Now that you have Poopmoth's Miraculi, take them to the cops as evidence that Gabriel Agreste is Poopmoth.

Oh right. Nathalie has her walker things.

Knights don't typically convince dragons in these kinds of stories. At most they stand around idly and evade all the dragon's attacks until the dragon gets tired and gives in.

I'm tired of the word "Risk" at this point. This is too on-the-nose for themes. At least Simpleman was fun.

Oh god Kagami's character is getting poisoned already

Oh god Risk is just Simpleman but worse the IQ poisoning is real

Wait, Lila isn't disguising herself around her other mother? Or did she fake her death around the first mother?

Oh. They were fakes. Back to the "Yoink Gabriel Agreste" plan.

Kaiju

This has been hell so far to watch. Stop saying the word of the day without everyone screaming after it. On to part 2.

Well, Alya knows now. And Luka.

That fucking LEITMOTIF!!!

Wait, this is just reused from last episode!

THEY'RE STILL SAYING THE FUCKING WORD! I AM SO SICK.

Shouldn't Ladybug realize that kid has green skin?

And didn't anyone realize the frog marks on the backs of their necks?

Reused footage

Oh. Is Strikeback a Pokemon?

Nino's got a loose tongue. Noted.

FINALLY!

Oh. The sky's red now.

Well, the shitshow's over, now for Felix to ruin everything.

The traitor. Is he really sorry?

Oh god she's genuinely freaking out

And right in her time of need. Thank you, Chat Noir. Everyone say "Thank you, Chat Noir" in the reblogs/replies as well.

Alright, the ending was actually fine since I knew what was happening. Cathartic too. But otherwise these episodes were like Peewee's Playhouse without any good qualities. Up next is season 5. Play us off, Peewee's Playhouse ending with Peewee Pictures closing logo.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Okay so a thing that has bothered me ever since I first watched Chat Blanc was Bunnyx and the general time travel stuff because tghis makes no sense. In the Chat Blanc time line, after Chat Blanc destroyes the universe, everyone is dead. Including adult!Alix aka Bunnyx. So the Bunnyx fron the Chat Blanc timeline doesn'rt exist anymore, meaning that the Bunnyx fron the episode is from a parallel timeline where Chat Blanc didn't destroy the universe. That however raises the question why she would even care about that other timeline. Is her quest to assure victory over Monarch in every single timeline because that sounds exhausting as hell. I also don't understand the deal with her leg disappearing while she witnesses the fight between LB and CB, it has no reason to, because LB defeating CB doesn't have any effect on Bunnyx because, as stated earlier, the Bunnyx from that timeline is already dead! And honestly, the fact that Lb even had to fight CB makes no sense. They could've just went back in time 2 minutes so LB can erase her name from the letter (or just be quicker so Adrien doesn't see her) and CB doesn't happen in the first place!

Like, genuine question, what was the point of the whole thing? I mean other than the concept is cool and the writers wanted to give LB trauma (which never really plays a significant part in the overall story anyway??)

Sorry for rambling so much, I don't know if this makes any sense, the episode was really confusing to me and idk if it's just because the episode actually doesn't make sense or because I just don't understand it bc time travel is really confusing. Would really love to hear your opinion!

You're fine and you're not missing a thing. The episode simply doesn't make sense nor am I sure why it even exists. I know a lot of people love it, but I really don't get the hype. It runs off of nonsense logic and makes most of the characters look really bad.

Let's start with the lore.

The canon lore is that Bunnyx only travels through time, not universes, so it makes no freaking sense that an adult Bunnyx would be able to stop Chat Blanc since the existence of Chat Blanc should stop her from existing. It's a total paradox that goes against everything we'd been told about her powers. Of course, she's also supposed to be the hero of last resort, yet we hear about her hanging out with famous historical figures and the season five final sees her acting as a substitute for the horse miraculous even though the people she portals in don't do a thing to help with the final battle, so it's not like Chat Blanc is the only time her powers and role get ignored. Any time I use the rabbit, I have to completely rework its lore because canon is just so bad at time travel. I like Alix and her adult design is awesome, but any time Bunnyx shows up, I expect to be annoyed.

Also, I will never forgive her for just dumping Ladybug back in our time without so much as a word of encouragement or any reassurance that the Chat Blanc stuff was only a maybe. And Ladybug was the one to figure out how to fix time!!! Alix, you suck at your job! Or this is just another case of the writers refusing to let someone other than Marinette save the day even though the poor girl really needs a day off.

As for why this episode exists? I don't even know, dude. It makes no sense. Back when we thought it was going to be a driving force in the season four conflict - an assumption that was backed up by Marinette's nightmare in sentibubbler - the episode kinda made sense in spite of its flaws. But we're two seasons past Chat Blanc and the only person who is apparently traumatized by it is Adrien.

Yes, the writers actually said this. No, you didn't miss an episode where Adrien learned about Chat Blanc. They were talking about the nightmares from the final:

Mélanie says that he "could become Chat Blanc" and the others add that even though he does not remember and has never lived it, Chat Blanc still has an influence on his actions.

Yes, this is embarrassingly bad writing. The character who never saw or even heard of Chat Blanc is somehow the one who is traumatized and effected by it while Marinette's trauma has nothing do to with Chat Blanc or the events of the season four final. Instead, it's random BS that was never even hinted at until season five. I just... what?

In case it wasn't obvious - which I guess it isn't given that professional writers missed this - the logical way to write this to have the season four conflict be about Chat Blanc from Ladybug's side. After the conflict ends, she reveals everything to Chat Noir who becomes terrified of hurting people with his powers. This is only exacerbated by the events of Destruction. But then the show would have had to let Chat Noir have a character arc that didn't revolve around Ladynette and the series seems allergic to that as a concept, so instead Adrien gets magical trauma that keeps him from the final fight. And I thought the Derision retcon was bad!

Other issues with Chat Blanc in no particular order:

It cements Nathalie as just as bad a Gabriel since she's the one who tells him Adrien's secret identity and we then see her do nothing to try to protect Adrien.

It makes Gabriel irredeemable by showing him gleefully hurting his child. Dude punts his son across the city with a smile on his face!

It makes Adrien look slimy since he asks Marinette out without telling her that he knows her secret identity. This one is in a bit of a grey area for me because the secret identity stuff is complicated, but Adrien has never been the one who cared about secret identities AND he's the one who has been directly turned down in hero form. The episode takes none of that into consideration with its writing and it really needed to for Adrien to feel like he had a valid point of view here. As is, he's taking advantage of a situation and putting his Lady love at risk for his own wants.

The pillow sniff scene makes Marinette look unhinged.

It spits in the face of The Power of Love by having Adrien's love fail to be enough to stop him from killing Marinette.

Marinette's parents should have gotten involved after Gabriel threatened her. There is no way in hell that I'd let my kid go over to the Agreste mansion after that. If the writers were once again determined to not let Tom and Sabine parent, then the threat should have come when Marinette was alone.

Why did Ladybug even need to go to the future if Bunnyx could have just gone back in time and stopped Ladybug from leaving the present for Adrien? Why did Chat Blanc even need to be defeated? What did Ladybug's ladybug actually fix when she cast her charm?

This is minor, but it bothers me: Chat Noir should not have been smiling and happy when he was freed from his akuma. That boy should have been in the middle of a breakdown.

I know people forgive some of the above because Chat Blanc is sort of an AU and I'm not going to say that's wrong, I just can't look at it that way because there's nothing that sets Chat Blanc apart from the normal timeline. The Paris special gives us an AU. Chat Blanc (and Ephemeral) are what the writers told us would happen in the canon timeline if Gabriel ever discovered his son's secrets. Canon Gabriel was the one doing those things and would have done them again if given the chance. This is who the writers said he is. Same goes for all the other characters who come across less than stellar here.

There's a reason why I love a good Chat Blanc rewrite. It's an idea with a lot of potential, but canon capitalizes on almost none of it.

[miracleandplagueau]

What are your thoughts on the season 5 finale?

INHALE (S5 finale spoilers, duh)

Before I start, disclaimer, I didn't watch most of the season 5 episodes in full. I mosty watched the important lore things and completely gave up on filler. That being said I didn't need to apparently, so let's just get on with it.

✦ PART I. What the actual fuck just happened.

The entire episode felt like some kind of fever dream, like it was written by a 10 year old just starting their journey with original characters, power systems and stories on general and had little idea how to tie the plots together in a satisfying way. Unless we count the mass reunion of everyone from the past whereas I hoped that the NYC and Shanghai specials were just ""fun episodes"" in the vaccum.

The whole plot of both episodes is basically Marinette is badass for 1.5 episode, but fails at recognizing that Gabriel (cough cough THE Monarch) is way beyond redemption and fucks up the entire world (not really, will be explained later)

I'll say it right now, I hate how miraculous went from a magic-focused story to ending on so many science involving plotlines. I mean, come on. He suddenly got himself a laser to turn the miraculouses to rings, created brand new jewelry with floating displays. It sucks, I hate it all over.

✦ PART II. Gabriel and his shenanigans

Personally, I hate the one-wish quota. No matter what happens, I've always seen it boil down to two outcomes - either the villain is stopped from making the wish and he has to be dealt with in a regular way or he succeeds in making the wish and faces no consequences in the end because the world has changed so much

It's the latter with Gabriel, but at the same time not exactly. He succeeded in making the wish, bailed on everyone and get this - he not only got what he wanted, he also got away with it scot free. No, I don't care If he was trying to do the "good" thing by bringing back his dead wife because he loved her. He did horrible, horrible things to get to that. I'll tackle the lack of consequences a bit later on.

✦ PART III. After-wish consequences

HA what the fuck am I saying, CONSEQUENCES? IN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG? That's fucking hilarious. Apparently, not only Marinette doesn't have to worry about being called out, because Gabriel put n the earrings and suddenly he's the most lucky bastard in the universe. Spoiler alert: that's not how it works.

During the scenes that showcased how Emily and Nathalie are alive, how his house is no longer grim and is instead filled with life and roses and bushes. It was nice, It really was.... visually. It's one to look at it and think "yeah, that's a nice finale" and other to look at it while knowing the context.

Oh and by the way, Emilie. So happy we got to see her.... for 5 seconds without counting the video. SHE'S SUPPOSED TO BE THE MOTIVATION FOR GABRIEL TO REWRITE REALITY?!? I'll forever be salty about that.

Going back to the wish for a second and the outcome of making the wish,,, are you fucking serious. I thought the world was supposed to be rewritten when the wish is made, not fixed? What kind of wish did the fucker make, because clearly he brought back TWO people and nothing else seems to have changed. And do not get me with the "Oh but he sacrificed his life for the wish!!--" BULLSHIT. HE WAS AN HOUR AWAY FROM TURNING INTO DUST SMARTASS, THAT IS NOT A WORTHY SACRIFICE OF BRINGING SOMEONE FROM THE DEAD AND HEALING SOMEONE.

I'd at least enjoy it a little If he vanished. Like went poof, gone, no more Gabriel, because then the sacrifice would hold some weight. He gave up his existence so that Adrien is happy, but nooo motherfucker got a STATUE IN HIS HONOR.

Nobody took the blame for the Hawk Moth/Monarch situation either. To people of Paris he just appeared, caused chaos and destruction before fading away after GABRIEL AGRESTE SUDDENLY HAD THE POWER TO GIVE CIVILIANS WITH HIS NEW RINGS POWERS OF A HERO. Nobody found it weird? No? Just me? Okay.

✦ PART IV. Marinette more like Marynette Sue

Marinette was especially unbearable this finale. The fact that she was the only one who fought Monarch, that she's the only one that knows his identity, that she just casually got two most powerful miraculouses all for herself. It just. hurt me physically.

She thought she can be steven universe fr

✦ PART V. Can Adrien stop being a plot device FOR TWO EPISODES

I'm sorry, is this too much to ask for? Is it too much to ask for Adrien to have a part in anything here. During my watch, I can confidently say that I forgot that Adrien existed and yes I know that he's closed off in a padded room, because Gabriel wants to "keep him safe", but come ON at least give us a take away back to him seeing Gabriel on the screen, struggling with the nightmare or considering taking the whole Miraculer deal. It shouldn't be like that in the first place where the secondary main character, the second hero is left to rot while the strong female lead do everything seamlessly.

In the end, the only thing he did is kiss Marinette and take Gabriel's rings. He didn't even find out about his father being the literal Monarch, It felt so cheaped out I dunno. It could've worked If he had a bit more part in the actual fight.

✦ PART VI. Oh yeah, and about Lila's cliffhanger (and season 6 and 7)

WHO THOUGHT OF THIS BRIGHT IDEA?! (I know damn well who did)

I hate the fact that Miraculous will actually continue with Lila as the new butterfly holder. I hate the fact that she got what she wanted and that she will continue to BE there. I do not give a single fuck about Lila and I will not be watching beyond season 5 because for me, the show of Miraculous: Adventures of Ladybug and Chat Noir has ended and it has ended horrendously at that.

✦ PART VII. The little positives the finale had

I liked Bug Noir's design. VISUAL DESIGN. and the animation in Agreste's garden.

I also actually really enjoyed Tikki and Plagg's true forms and Gimmi's fun attitude. They really gave them that great look where you go "Oh yeah, these guys aren't JUST bugs and are actually something greater than a human being" and I like that a whole lot..

PART IX. Finally, final thoughts

There are so many things I still have to say about the finale like the Adrienette, other characters like Luka, Nathalie, Kagami's mother also getting away scot free (for now) and blah blah blah but I am TIRED. I'll likely talk about it in the future or just hopefully forget that it exists.

This one is rough as fuck I know but I'm just writing it as I go

In short, man, am I glad this is over. Am I glad this is over.

Thomas, get your fucking shit together, because middle schoolers write better and more consistent stories. Bringing in all your half-assly written characters to just fight a distraction of sort and having your main character face the villain all alone because she's a strong female lead is not good writing thank you for coming to my ted talk

[capesandshapes]

When I think about when I stopped watching miraculous ladybug religiously it was never like a case of growing out of it or anything, but I realized that I stopped being as interested around seasons four and really had to think about the reasons why and like one sticks out to me more than anything

In seasons one through three and the Shanghai/New York special, the writing just feels so different. Like all of the episodes are meant to be standalones but you can tell that they feed into a larger narrative somewhat nearly-- and I've thought about why things seem so disorientating and jumbled for me season four onwards and what it was that I was missing that took away the appeal of the show for me only to realize last night that it's the winx effect.

And for like, those who don't know, winx was an extremely popular cartoon in its heyday where the first few seasons were written just to fill airtime, slot themselves nearly between commercial breaks, and that's it. There weren't really toys for the winx club at first, but you can tell the moment they started to know they were going to make toys because while it's just a kid's cartoon, something shifted entirely. Like the pixies were traded out for just about every trademark 'girlie' animal or magical creature companion under the sun, multiple iterations of outfits were announced, even more far out there side plots developed and some characters became stagnant in a way-- and while I'm not saying that all characters in miraculous have become stagnant to me, I am saying that some characters are just trapped in a state of growth that they likely won't complete and I'm seeing all of these outfit changes and bug fusions with the corresponding magic surprise line (where you stick ladybug in water to see which miraculous she'll be!) and like

I've realized that to me, there's such a stark difference in how they began to approach the narrative the moment that they knew they were getting a toy line, because that's where the money really is, and it felt like all the seasons before really had been just for building good will and the bones of the story, and after a certain point not much has changed narratively (barring Adrien and Marinette dating which happened at a snail's pace), and a lot of that might have something to do with finally having these in children's hands and wanting them to have the bones to use the toys to craft their own narrative.

Which sucks for me, because while merchandise is great in theory and engaging for so many fan bases, I'm just not a merch person. And while I was drawn in by the bones that were laid down, I just kind of get annoyed everytime we get another bug variant and don't move further along.

Rough summary in my mind:

[katyspersonal]

Uuuuugh,,...

(A small rant about Miraculous Ladubyg)

Okay I've finally got up my arse and started watching 5th season of Miraculous Ladybug. There are so many cool things and developments, but I just got to the fuckin. ugh. episode where they retconned Marinette's genuinely weird stalkery obssessive problems over her crush as result of the trauma that Chloe caused to her on previous studying years. And I actually had Frenzy attack and need to pause from the weird headache.

"But wait Kat, it is a good message that having sympathetic reasons for questionable behaviour doesn't extempt you from guilt" Well it sure is..... except it doesn't work on Marinette apparently, because Thomas wants his protag to be basically flawless and never have her flaws truly addressed. And it sure doesn't work on Chloe, because she DOES have sympathetic reasons for being a school bully as a girl who is 14-15 (and was like, 13? and even younger? when she was a bully?); she has god fucking awful oppressive mother that kept neglecting her and garbage father that spoils her and never disciplines her! I still feel extremely bigger over the fact that they were trying to write Chloe through an interesting and valid arc of acknowledging her awful behaviour and changing to the better, but then Thomas stepped in and assasinated her character to make his point about how some people will never change because they can't give away their privileges. And like, okay, fine. But why at the expence of the abused and neglected spoiled teenage girl? And it was the worst part how he also tried to gaslight the audience into believing it was planned this way from the start when it wasn't.

Honestly, the easiest thing to do would be writing a new character to deliver this point about how "some people will never change". Heck, keep the trauma but make Kim 100% responcible instead of just making him a dumbass goof folled by Chloe, keep the stepsister thing but make HER the new spoiled bully one that was disappointed her sister became nicer and more down to earth with "peasants". Retcons in the TV shows cause me headache in general, but completely wrecking the pre-existing already built character to be hip with the kids and making her speak like such a caricature that NO real life bully could ever be this one-dimensional and bland is just awful. I feel like this is the actual case of the writer abusing his character, like... this show just feels like it is way too happy to keep beating Chloe up by making her so unrealistically evil that you just don't believe this writing. After having written her in seasons 1-2 as a realistic complex character that was an asshole but interesting and explained. And in the end, the worst, THE worst part is that in the end all it really does is absolves other characters from guilt and agency over their mistakes, flaws, negative emotions etc etc. Because everything is fucking always a fault of a teenager girl that the writers just hates so much.

I'll go back to watching it, and I hope there will be some cool development and improvement later that could help to undo this bitterness. :/ I am sorry it is the second time I am ranting about how Chloe was treated as a character, it is just something I deeply hate writers doing. Besides one (1) of my mutuals watches this show too xd Basically 1) do not retcon previously well-written characters to make a completely new point, just write in a new character (which applies to both Chloe AND Marinette) and 2) do not make a literal 13-to-15 years old character as stand-in for everything awful and wrong with the setting, this is just fucking cruel lol.